( loathe to pull her hand from his, she waits for them to do so, brushing herself off with the other. )
thank you. for walking. and talking. despite my outburst.
i'm not usually one for apologies. they don't come easily to me, so please accept it.
( part of her wondered if this was some extension of elidibus' torture: send her to a time and place they were bound, without the ability to do anything but 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦. )
i will.
↓
( stands, brushes himself off and offers a hand. )
we should return to our friends. i cannot leave emet-selch unattended for long, after all.
( hythlodaeus chuckles, flashing a wink. he needed to be anywhere else. )
come.
( perhaps this lie came so easily because they wanted it badly enough to be true. a lie to herself as much as him. she accepts his hand easily, lifting herself from the grass with grace. )
it's a surprise we haven't heard some commotion already.
↓
time might tell, but she knew what would happen to this world, that hythlodaeus would never know, and her own understanding wasn't ensured either. watching his hand drop, she steadies herself. )
i'm sorry.
you can't be satisfied with that .ᐟ
( it's blurted out, her own frustrations seeping into her words; tired of feeling on the back foot, chasing to keep up with... herself .ᐣ with hydaelyn .ᐣ
↓
the star. but that couldn't be soon. he had a job to do, and people to protect. he was unfulfilled. )
time will tell.
( they settle on, hand dropping back to the grass and eyes falling shut. he couldnt show the difficulty they felt in accepting that. )
it always does.
heartbreaking, given the temporary nature of her visit, and the knowledge emet-selch had bestowed upon her in their own time. )
vanessa. but i don't think that's what you're asking, and i don't know how to answer you.
that's not fair, you have an advantage.
( she's unflinching at their touch, aside for the traitorous skip of her heartbeat, worsened by the curve of his smile. )
intertwined...
( repeated under her breath, the concept made her sigh, almost shuddering with it, fanciful.
↓
intertwined, you and i.
( he couldn't explain it, though the feeling was not alien to them. they experienced it with hades, with azem. the warmth of home. )
do not ask me how. i have no answers for you. but i feel it. who exactly are you?
she couldn't double down on being azem's familiar. especially not with them. a pivot, then, fighting the breath caught in her throat. )
is that what this is .ᐣ
( yet. a stupid hopeful word that made vane's stomach twist. but not as much as his pulling his gaze from her. moving to sit cross-legged and face him fully, words made her freeze. )
i'm your–
( it was too big of a lie to continue, no matter the stakes.
↓
towards her, so close to his relationship with azem. the calm she instilled in them. it made him ache. enough to pull his gaze away. )
my soul knows yours.
( deliberate choice of words, one he could offer no explanation for. they spoke from the heart. )
i feel it.
you don't seem like someone who would be. afraid of fire, i mean.
( she meets and holds their gaze, a moment too long. tail swishes under her borrowed robes and she shuffles. )
but nor do you strike me as the type to hold shame, so what would i know .ᐣ
( eyes usually so sharp and shrew soften as he speaks. there's no way she could have known this, no matter how good at reading people they may be. so she pushed back the part of her that felt like she was being reminded rather than told. )
↓
my anger?
( he'll indulge her, not out of obligation, but because it feels like speaking to someone he'd known since he was small. a new old friend. )
it comes before i can stop it. before i can control it. a snap of energy and then. . . my hands are shaking. my focus -
i know that more than most.
( usually so careful with her words, with themselves, and not all that revealing. but more than she'd willingly admit to even alphinaud. she tries to get the conversation back on track. )
so tell me about yours.
that's a complicated statement.
( violet eyes find hers, warm and inquisitive. the shape of her soul was loud, and felt like an anchor to his heart, grounding him firmly in this moment. this time. it felt. . . fleeting. painful. he shook his head. )
anger is part of us all.
( she takes the moment unobserved to observe them. to try and understand. all it did was send a pang through her heart. )
who doesn't .ᐣ aside from those who don't, of course.
you say that like anger is... not something you indulge in.
displays of affection?
( straightens his spine, palms propping him up against the grass. their head tilts back, eyes closing briefly. )
no, that's never bothered me. i encourage it. i like it to be known i'm loved.
mm. lip smacking. fills me with a white hot rage.
( she finds herself leaning in for the "secret", drawn to him as he moved. perhaps this had been a bad idea. vane doesn't pull away. )
so you don't hate when people chew with their mouth open, or excessive public displays of affection .ᐣ nothing like that .ᐣ
( he settled, both legs tucked beneath him. laughing at her question, he leaned toward her like it was a conspiracy. )
well, boring, but when people i care for fail to take care of themselves. not irrational perhaps, but irritation all the same.
also down-talkers. infuriating