everything you want is on the other side of fear
Amalia doesn't help Sera dip beneath her wing, but she doesn't stop the Artificer, either. Woman, dragon, and starwhale invade the shelter of her feathers, and cold and broken as she is Amalia begins to feel warm. Hand still shaking she raises the third glass, this time taking a slower sip as the buzz courses through her.
"I've been a fool for years," the Angel agrees, the heat of liquor and Sera's closeness loosening her tongue. Another sip; she still doesn't look at the Artificer, knowing that this next confession will be even worse. "I'm the one who let her free. She was trapped in the Underground, and we- I didn't know, Sera. But she fooled us into finding her, and it was me - I was the one who said the word that let her free."
The rest of her drink is thrown back aggressively, and this time her sob contains a mirthless, almost hysterical laugh. "Everything that's happened since? The barrier going down, the Blight, the Voice getting free, Adam and Kia dying? It's all because of me."
"I've been a fool for years," the Angel agrees, the heat of liquor and Sera's closeness loosening her tongue. Another sip; she still doesn't look at the Artificer, knowing that this next confession will be even worse. "I'm the one who let her free. She was trapped in the Underground, and we- I didn't know, Sera. But she fooled us into finding her, and it was me - I was the one who said the word that let her free."
The rest of her drink is thrown back aggressively, and this time her sob contains a mirthless, almost hysterical laugh. "Everything that's happened since? The barrier going down, the Blight, the Voice getting free, Adam and Kia dying? It's all because of me."
Amalia
