raised on the edge of the devil's backbone

// and if i was the only thing you couldn't bear to lose,
i'd set fire to the wood, just so you wouldn't have to bury me too //

He deflates, slowly, but it’s noticeable in the way his body doesn’t become so tense, in the way that he holds himself with so much exhaustion that weighs so heavily on his shoulders. His voice is quiet when it finally airs, keeping himself shielded, keeping himself guarded out of pure habit and nothing else. Ingrained, his defense mechanism. “Because I want to protect you. Because I don’t want to lose you again.” Muscles feather in his jaw, watching her hand as it almost airs closer and he tucks himself away further. An internal tornado bounding around his soul. “You say you aren’t Lusea but I can’t let you be put in a situation like she was. You know that still hurts me. You know that my biggest fear is him getting ahold of you or Nate.” Surely it had to make sense, right?

But there’s a compromise, and his wings ruffle a bit as he contemplates it, mulling it over with a far away look in his gaze. “When the sun rises, would you go to Halo?” He asks softly, wings unfolding, focused on trying to let his rage and upset dissipate. “Go and see Deimos, see if there’s some help to be had there.” And this is where the realization dawns on him and stills him as he stares at her, swallowing hard, taking a few steps forward to try and close the distance between them. “Hotaru..? Kiada’s alive… She came back as an Ascended during the Festival of Lights.” He tries to reach out for her now, realizing his mistake in not telling her sooner.

SUNJATA