[PQ] Semper Fidelis

Maybe part of her wanted to be found - wanted Rory to be watching, wanted, no needed him to step forward to she could explain herself. Why she walked away from their defenses around The Spire, why she’s rallied her own  troops. In the end, most of her words fail her, because Wessex simply isn’t a talker. Not in the way that others are. Her love is expressed through actions; in the soup she made, in the way she tucked him in to the rocking chair, in her anger (fucked up as it might be) at being left behind during LongNight. She may never actually say the words to Rory, may never actually say anything remotely close to it - but she will be there, as much as she can be - when he needs her. And when he cannot ( or will not) do the hard thing that needs to be done, Wessex will do it for him. Without be asked. She will shoulder the responsibility, the blame, the hatred if it’s slung her way. She can bear it. Even if the hatred comes from his eyes, she will take her martyr-slash-hero complex and walk away, knowing that she saved him. She can feel him at her edges as he moves to intercept her path, so she allows it. The weariness is written on his face, the exhaustion, the mental and emotional weight of it all. And she looks back at him without apology, though there is a noticeable reaction as he says her name. For a moment, there is only tense silence between them. Words of redemption and reconciliation are on her tongue and yet she cannot bring herself to say them. She takes another step towards The Spire, then another. And when they are shoulder to shoulder, when he cannot see her eyes, she finally spits some of it out. “I saw the outside. I saw - life.” Her voice almost cracks, but she does not hesitate. “It looked like a place Magrethe and Karlia would love. A place we deserve. This isn’t just a Voice thing, Rory. This is for everyone.” I hope you can understand comes in a hand on his shoulder, waiting a moment to see if he has any response, and then moving forward to meet the others at the base. She can't keep them waiting. WESSEX come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts unsex me here