* ( a pause at how they responded to the title… they- would sort that away. )
* …i was told that- someone i held dear might not be as good a person as i thought.
* …i’m not- sure how to process it all. so… i’m- not. not yet, at least.
*... Right. Leader.
(*That title of yours. The damned word that caused all your strife. Maybe that's all you deserve to be called.)
(*Real monsters don't deserve a name.)
*Knowledge...?
* …of course, leader.
* ( ah… the honorific was back. even if it seemed detached it… was more so an attempt from them to show they still held respect for the other. )
* nightmares partly, but… also knowledge i wasn’t ready for.
*... Don't. Please...
(*You feel pathetic for asking Zaila to stay. They're so young... They don't need to deal with more of your crap.)
*Understandable. Nightmares?
* …i’ll leave in a little, just-
* ( a sigh, it sounded stupid what they wanted to say, instead just nodding. )
* …yeah. sleep isn’t coming easy anymore….
(*Unfortunately for you, your senses have been trained to fixate on anything near you. The wind, the waves... the person approaching you from behind.)
(*Given the lack of speech and action, you're assuming it's one of the mages. They probably saw you walk off and followed.)
(*You're sitting by the lake, no sword or weapon at hand. Just you, as you grip that cloak tightly around you.)
(*You woke up in the middle of the night from a night terror... You don't want to go back to sleep.)