lonesome dreams

KIADA we are all just fighting to survive a world, where 'i miss you' doesn't mean I'm coming back. She doesn’t know how long it is until the door opens and Auni’s head lifts from the blankets she has spread out for him. His nub of a tail begins to wag happily to spot a familiar face – having learned from shared memories that Seiji and Kiada lived with one another. But he remains in the same spot while Seiji quietly goes to make tea, and Kiada remains looking at the fire in some far off destination that she doesn’t seem to acknowledge he’s returned. It isn’t until Seiji sets the cup beside her that she moves, her icy eyes puffed and outlined in red as she looks to the cup and reaches out to take it once Seiji has settled. “Thank you…” She offers quietly, throat raw and her voice hoarse as she looks down into the tea and hunches into herself, cradling the cup between both hands as if it could warm the darkness and the ice within her. Auni, reaches forward in the meantime, moving from his place to sit beside Seiji and aims to lay along his side, his hooves spread out and his budding antlered head resting by Seiji’s feet – not needing introductions. Any friend of Kiada is a friend of Auni’s. And he tries to make it known. When Seiji speaks, Kiada’s head and eyes finally lift to look at him – feeling some kind of regret deep down that she hadn’t sought him out despite the events that had happened. It doesn’t seem like he minds, however, as he asks what his name was. “Auni. It means help.” She offers quietly. “I… I owe you an explanation. I’m sorry.” She stumbles over her words, apologizing though she’s not entirely sure why she is. She just feels the need to. Sucking in a deep breath, she takes a hand from the cup and reaches to her lap to grab the little note – now wrinkled and perhaps a bit tear stained, and she stretches out her arm to hand it to him as she looks back down to the cup. “I told you once before that I fell through worlds to get here. And it’s true. But Ru’in – Ru’in was from where I was born.” She begins, giving him time to read the note. and 'I love you' doesn't mean I'll stay...