What have I done?

yet my blood renders me a King

The Wild Thunder found himself isolated in an outcropping of trees far from where the Tournement was. To say that Sah was a mess would be an understatement. Yet even the paleness of his face or the still-present tremor to his shoulders didn't come close to revealing the depth of his distress. When Ru had backed up Sunjata and not so subtly told him to leave, it had felt like a knife to the chest. He knew he deserved it. He'd killed Melita. Accidentally, but murdered her, nonetheless. And he certainly owed her a hell of an apology sooner rather than later. And a 'thank you' to Ronin.

The guilt was insurmountable and as Sah paced, waiting for Hotaru to join him, he kept running an aggravated hand through his hair, nearly pulling it out by the roots. His injuries still stung, bruises sore, even though he'd at least taken the time to give himself first aid. The Wild Thunder didn't want anyone touching him at the moment. He felt too volatile. Too dangerous.

Sah felt a wave of guilt for even having asked Ru to come. She should be with Melita, not him. Lilly eyed her bonded worriedly from a few feet away as his breathing stayed shallow and shaky Meanwhile, Pad stood guard, with hackles raised at every creature, whether bird or insect, that came close.

Sah

Hotaru

I know that I should have told you that I would die
Just to hold you

Her nerves have had time to settle, if not long enough. It's easier for her, she thinks, than Sunjata despite the way it had so thoroughly reminded her of Enzo. All that matters to her is that Melita is alive. Perhaps it's simply a mental form of protection to focus solely on that and not the nightmarish moments before it, but right now it's all Hotaru can manage.

It's a mantra that follows her as she seeks out Sah. She's alive, she's alive, she's alive. Hotaru logically knows that it had not been Sah's fault - given how she'd nearly done the same to Seren - but Hotaru is not exactly known for being logical. Her heart is a fickle thing, and yet it guides her with every powerful beat.

Still, Sah had been one of the few people at her shoulder and behind her back when Enzo had died. She loves him and that love is a shield that protects him from her enmity. His pale, distressed figure only reinforces that, and as she approaches she reaches for him silently to pull him into an embrace. Sometimes, actions speak much louder than words, even for people with silver tongues like the Valkyrie.

And if I just had my shit together I could be with you
But I'm too high on paranoia

yet my blood renders me a King

Sah couldn't help but watch Hotaru warily as she approached.  He hadn't known that she and Melita were close, but it was immediately apparent, and the shame of hurting Ru emotionally wasn't something that he could escape from.  Ru was one of his precious people, his family, his pack. Someone he deeply loved and hated to disappoint. Sah's thoughts raced as the Valkyrie drew near, and he wondered for a moment if he was about to lose her too. Her arms came up, and, in Sah's heart and soul, he knew that she would never harm him. Yet the Wild Thunder couldn't stop the flinch at her initial touch.

He forced himself to breathe, making a choked noise before melting into Ru's hold like a puppet whose strings had been cut, his arms limp at his side. He took a shuddering breath, his lungs burning as he hid his face in her neck, "I'm so sorry. I swear on my life that I truly didn't mean to." Sah swallowed, "I honestly didn't think that I could win against her... much less..." Words failed him, and he let out an embarrassing whine. His eyes burned yet he refused to cry, not now. Not when he was with someone whom his actions had hurt. Not even if it was Ru.

Melita had always been ahead in strength. In all of their competitions and encounters, she'd solidly won every time. The idea that he might beat her in the Tournament had been farfetched. Her arrow had held serious power and without his armor, it would have truly hurt. Sah had been caught completely off guard when a single strike from him at full strength had turned lethal.

Sah