W E S S E X
A bile-filled rebuttal rises in her throat as she scoffs, shaking her head. “Did you ever talk to Morgan? About anything? Torchline has a portal and it’s firmly Safrin’s. Portals mean nothing. Fuck, Frey’s the one who’s helped Halo the most, with the cold thing and the food - and the presence of a single man is enough to convince you otherwise.” She didn’t know Neron had so much power over Halo still. Perhaps she ought to try and use it more often. They’ve made him into the boogeyman and - and - and isn’t that exactly what the Gods want?
“But they don’t have to be alone, Gods, can’t you see -” except she’s cut off because Ru is there. Really, truly there, and she doesn’t know if it’s a move to bring down her defenses or honest-to-Gods feelings. Immobile for a minute, Wessex is wordless and breathless until her hands seem to find their own mind and wrap around the Valkyrie’s waist, then up to cradle the back of her head as the tears flow.
It doesn’t matter if this is all for show. Her anger is spent, coming more and more in sudden bursts and flares, then dying down to sad ashes, fuelled by the embers of reality. Her lips press gently against Hotaru’s head - chastely at her temple, against wild golden tangles and again at her wind-chapped forehead. Loki grumbles somewhere in the back of her mind in warning, but the companion goes unheeded, for once.
“And I watched the Old Gods destroy everything I loved. We were collateral damage. A whole, thriving city.” Gently stepping back from her smaller, soggy and sniffling beloved, the demigoddess's hands tremble as they slide to Ru's shoulders and her ice-blue eyes seek to fill-in whatever emphasis and meaning her words cannot. “The Voice is not the one that destroyed your world. I can’t - I don’t know how to convince you. Don’t… know what to do except beg. Please. Please. Don’t hurt us.” Her head falls, heavy and solemn to her chest, feeling drained from it all. The effort, the emotion. She can't say the last part.
Don’t make me not choose you.
“But they don’t have to be alone, Gods, can’t you see -” except she’s cut off because Ru is there. Really, truly there, and she doesn’t know if it’s a move to bring down her defenses or honest-to-Gods feelings. Immobile for a minute, Wessex is wordless and breathless until her hands seem to find their own mind and wrap around the Valkyrie’s waist, then up to cradle the back of her head as the tears flow.
It doesn’t matter if this is all for show. Her anger is spent, coming more and more in sudden bursts and flares, then dying down to sad ashes, fuelled by the embers of reality. Her lips press gently against Hotaru’s head - chastely at her temple, against wild golden tangles and again at her wind-chapped forehead. Loki grumbles somewhere in the back of her mind in warning, but the companion goes unheeded, for once.
“And I watched the Old Gods destroy everything I loved. We were collateral damage. A whole, thriving city.” Gently stepping back from her smaller, soggy and sniffling beloved, the demigoddess's hands tremble as they slide to Ru's shoulders and her ice-blue eyes seek to fill-in whatever emphasis and meaning her words cannot. “The Voice is not the one that destroyed your world. I can’t - I don’t know how to convince you. Don’t… know what to do except beg. Please. Please. Don’t hurt us.” Her head falls, heavy and solemn to her chest, feeling drained from it all. The effort, the emotion. She can't say the last part.
Don’t make me not choose you.
The Wraith
