The pressure of fingers in Pipsqueak's fur doesn't ease as he nears the Flood, though Koa lets the chakram drop down to the crook of his arm. It would be a beautiful picture, should be, as the kitten finds safety in the demigod's lap, the bond between souls all but visible as it forges between them, solidifies.
And yet it isn't wonder or delight on Sunjata's face, but something close to devastation. It makes no sense, and Koa can feel Pip's confusion across their own shared bond, a tremulous thread in the flow of relief and love and hope they share. Slowly, with the caution one might display when approaching a wounded animal, the Dragoon kneels down beside Sunjata, Pip still close to his arms.
"It does look that way," the boy agrees carefully, biting on his lip. Something flashes in his mind as he takes in the scarred and older man, a memory, a pained exchange. Had... he'd had a companion before, had and had his soul torn asunder, and now...
Ah. It all makes sense.
Koa's grip tightens on Pip, earning a muted mewl of protest as bruised muscles strain under his embrace. He can't imagine - can't imagine - what Sunjata is going through, lacks experience and emotional intelligence needed to comfort or empathize. But what Koa can give is a soldier's practicality, the ability to compartmentalize and take things one step at a time. And so he keeps his expression steady, quiet as he watches the demigod. "She is yours," he says softly, firmly, trying to channel the calm of countless captains who'd trained him as a boy. "And you are hers. And right now she needs you to keep it together. Can you do that? For her?"
And yet it isn't wonder or delight on Sunjata's face, but something close to devastation. It makes no sense, and Koa can feel Pip's confusion across their own shared bond, a tremulous thread in the flow of relief and love and hope they share. Slowly, with the caution one might display when approaching a wounded animal, the Dragoon kneels down beside Sunjata, Pip still close to his arms.
"It does look that way," the boy agrees carefully, biting on his lip. Something flashes in his mind as he takes in the scarred and older man, a memory, a pained exchange. Had... he'd had a companion before, had and had his soul torn asunder, and now...
Ah. It all makes sense.
Koa's grip tightens on Pip, earning a muted mewl of protest as bruised muscles strain under his embrace. He can't imagine - can't imagine - what Sunjata is going through, lacks experience and emotional intelligence needed to comfort or empathize. But what Koa can give is a soldier's practicality, the ability to compartmentalize and take things one step at a time. And so he keeps his expression steady, quiet as he watches the demigod. "She is yours," he says softly, firmly, trying to channel the calm of countless captains who'd trained him as a boy. "And you are hers. And right now she needs you to keep it together. Can you do that? For her?"
be love in its disrepute,
scorches the hillside and salts every root
