near half-empty

Deimos She’d made far more progress than he had, eyes skimming over the piles, and in the roots of silence, meandering over, hands immediately sifting through, taking away anything green, too verdant, too bright, too alive. And then there were those who’d been broken and bitten by decay, and he didn’t glance too far to see himself in those pinnacles and thresholds, listening, listening, listening to her explanations while he picked through, while he ascertained what would be enough. Were there any right or wrong inquiries? Perhaps – the ones that dug, the ones that tore, the ones he’d utilized to maul and maim in reciprocity and vengeance. But this world was too big, too vast, too fresh, too new for anyone to learn anything all at once – some would come from experience, some would come from those wiser, who’d been through the rebellions, the fallen barriers, the trials, and the tribulations. He made sure not to laugh at the nickname of Jigs, the snort caught somewhere in his throat. But then his eyes reeled back to hers at the notion of survival, at the sigh flickering off his chest. It was a loaded question, because he’d learned how to endure and persevere long before this world, had dug in tooth and nail when he wasn’t ready to perish, when kingdoms were torn apart, when battlefields echoed beyond tirades and tyrants. “Strength, might, and tenacity,” the Sword answered at first. “You have to pick your battles, and sometimes it is sheer luck, but there is value in being prepared.” Not to bombard their way in when they didn’t have enough menace or bite in their powers, in their capabilities. Not to try and become the hero; because it never worked to their favor. Not to be afraid to run when the going became tougher, more than they could handle; because sometimes there weren’t opportunities to come back. “You are welcome to come train at the barracks.” In any way, shape, or form she yearned to relish or try. To grow. To prosper. So she could live in this damned hellhole. His final words were quiet, but a truth, no matter how hushed. “There will be times that try your every patience or composure, and you want to do nothing more than give up. But you cannot.” Out of sight and out of mind Make everything alright So let the sky and sea collide Just not in our lifetime