Galoring
68 Autumn 218
Sav
In the immediate aftermath of the fucking Octurne exploding and raining from the sky, it took Sav a full candle to realize that Astarael wasn’t in the Cathedral. It took only a few more minutes after that to track down Carter and for the Blackwood scion to remember the stacks of letters left in her care.
Sav snatched the one left for them and squashed themself into a niche in a deserted hallway, behind a corniced pedestal with the bust of some former ruler or general or whatever. Their hands shook slightly as they opened the letter carefully, smoothing out wrinkles they’d accidentally scored in the paper in their haste.
It wasn’t a long missive. A minute later, Sav let loose a string of oaths, found the nearest window, and jumped out.
Gravity grabbed them before immediately slanting ninety degrees, sending them tumbling westward. They straightened themself out as they fell over the city’s rooftops, following the main road to the western docks. Smoke still rose here and there, the remnants of barricades from the fighting still evident. People, gathering in the streets to stare up at the empty sky and out at the new snow-white needle far on the horizon, cried out and pointed at them as they arrowed past, but they paid them no heed.
The docks were unusually still at the moment, between the recent troubles and the most recent event, though the taverns were overflowing with folk drinking to forget, to cope, or both. They pulled up and took a look around, eyes darting from dock to dock, but could spy no ships heading westward, no fisherman’s vessel nor individually-rowed dinghy bobbing in the water. But naw, she could simply ha’ walked down the bottom of the lake floor an’ I wouldnae see her there. Or gone through the south gate to take the land route west. Perhaps if I keep goin west an follow the main checkpoint through t’ Moraeth, I…
Could what? Lurk there for days, weeks? While abandoning everyone here without a word?
Floating in the air afforded them an excellent view of the tower, impossibly thin and tall to the north. How far was it, even? To be visible at this distance, surely not that far - and yet, they’d seen it up close, seen how vast around it was. To appear so slender it had to be miles high, enough to rise over the horizon at almost any point within a quarter of the world’s surface.
What was the twisted King in Glory doing there, to restore his people to this world?
They made an angry gesture and spoke some words, unheard in the air. Then, slowly, they turned their back to the west and began to fall back toward the Cathedral.
It took only a few more minutes (and a few startled maids) to find the window to the room Talith and Astarael had shared. They perched on the ledge and stepped past the glass in a burst of wild-scented mist and prismatic leaves, too upset to bother with niceties like knocking. If he was there, he was there, and if not, they would wait.
Talith
Rain poured over the homes as puddles slowly manifested across the cobblestone streets. Dim torchlight reflected off of the wet cobblestone, flickering and dancing as if trying to avoid the onslaught of water falling from the sky. One of the many puddles rested just in the center of four alleyways, isolated enough from people to not be stepped through, but still close enough for echos and distorted noises to be heard from the main thoroughfare. The puddle itself seemed content as more water pierced and pelted from above. However, its peaceful, serene, and boring life would come to an abrupt end as a boot stomped straight into it, water droplets exploding in every direction as a young, cloaked woman sprinted across the intersection down an alley. It would only be a single moment later before the puddle would erupt again as another boot sprinted through in the same direction. While this puddle would indeed rebuild itself, it knew it would never be the puddle it once was.
Talith was in pursuit as he leapt over crates, slammed into walls, and splashed through puddles in an attempt to catch this hooded person. He had started out not too far behind, but it seemed now as though with every step, the girl he was chasing took two. It was becoming absurd how fast she was. As he continued his chase, he realized that he couldn’t seem to remember why he was chasing in the first place? Was it magic? Magic would definitely explain this person’s speed and if discovered wielding magic, they could be executed. Surely this was why he was chasing, right? Maybe. Why was he chasing this person? Should it even be raining right now? Is it even supposed to be dark or should it be daylight? In a blink, suddenly the world disappeared before a new one came into existence just as quickly as the previous one had left.
Now Talith was aboard a ship known as the Beauty. He and Astarael sat on the bed in their small cabin. It seemed as though they were having quite the long conversation on many topics. At one point, the two seemed to hold a loving gaze towards one another while at another point, they seemed to be discussing something that brought a feeling of sorrow and tears. There were also points filled with laughter and some with hugs, some with disagreements and some with kisses. And then, there was a silver, circular necklace that rested on Astarael’s chest as the sun began to rise over the horizon. Another blink just like the previous one took Talith away from this world.
“I’ll go to Moraeth with you.”
Pain coursed through Talith’s mind and body. He wasn’t sure where he was - a tower maybe? With sword cuts, bruises, and blasts of magic patched across his body, he found himself on his knees, bound by The Suffering which held his wrists to the floor as if trying to pull him through. Confusion and fear swept through his mind. So desperately, he wanted nothing more than for this to end, to find a way out. As if granting his wish, the fear and pain fell away as the gentle, warm sensation of Astarael’s lips met his own. Suddenly, it felt like everything would be okay. And with that thought, chains of lightning struck the two of them, severing the hold that The Suffering had on Talith. Astarael had freed him from The Suffering as Talith could feel it. The Suffering had been erased from existence. Time passed and now Talith, Astarael, and the rest of their friends traveled to Moraeth to rid Astarael of her curse. More time passed and the party had somehow managed to save the world. And even more time passed, Talith and Astarael were now older with the first signs of white beginning to show in their hair. The two now resided in a cozy home on an outstretched field of flowers, not too terribly far from a cliffside which offered a beautiful view of the sunset and all of its vibrant colors. Having the best view of the sunset the two went out to watch. However, they were not alone. Astarael sat on the grass as she played and laughed with two children, a boy and a girl, while Talith stood, holding their newborn girl, smiling and pointing off in the distance. Talith and Astarael had a family and all of their friends would come by to visit every now and then for dinner. They were happy—
But that’s not what happened.
Talith found himself in pain once again, bound to the floor in that room by The Suffering. Astarael had kissed him and Talith had felt everything he had the first time. Only this time, the relief was short-lived. A force or…The Suffering had pushed Astarael back as the ground beneath him shattered. The pain took over as his world went black and he was dragged to the depths of hell. And in this instance, another blink brought Talith to a previous world.
Talith was still chasing the cloaked girl. His heart was pounding and his breath fleeting. Rain continued to pour, thought not heavily. Talith had one more burst of speed to try to close the impossible distance between the two, and so he ran as hard as he could. The girl, without losing speed, made a sharp pivot to the right down a new alley. Talith tried to do the same, however his momentum brought him to slam into the side of the building before pushing himself off and continuing on. It was too late though, he knew that there was no catching her now. He could only watch as the last glance he got was the girl looking back over her shoulder, their eyes locking for one brief moment, before Astarael continued forward and around the corner. That was the night the two had first met. Talith didn’t even know her name nor did either of them know that fate would have them cross paths once more.
Another blink hit, this time with an unrelenting gust of wind to bring Talith back to reality. His hair swept and swayed with the wind as the smell of nearby smoke carried with the wind. Talith sat on the steps of the Cathedral entrance with his wrist slouched over his knee as the wind tried to wrestle a letter from his hand.
“What forced you to leave by yourself so suddenly..?” Talith asked under his breath.
It didn’t take too much time before Talith finished losing himself in thought of the past and fantasies that he finally made his way into the Cathedral and up the stairs to his and Astarael’s room. In the back of his mind, he had hoped that for some reason, maybe Astarael would be in the room. Maybe she had to come back for something or maybe anything. He didn’t care the reason truth be told. Though, he was well aware that the reality was much different…but still..
As Talith approached his door, he heard a light thump. Nothing too loud or heavy, but movement nonetheless. Someone was inside. Someone was… Something of urgency masked with a layer of casual drove his hand to push the door open as he stepped into his room.
“Astarael?” Talith asked before he was even fully in the room.
Sav
Somehow, Sav hadn’t expected that. She should have, probably - it was their room, after all. Or perhaps she should have expected a reflexively violent response to the sound of someone in here when nobody was supposed to be here, especially with nerves still keyed up from the day.
Shouldae wouldae couldae.
The unexpected name when no, of course not, she wasn’t here and that was the problem locked Sav’s voice in her throat, so that only silence greeted Talith’s question. Silence, and the sight of Sav arrested mid-pace in the sitting area of the room, still dirt- and sweat-streaked from their collective flight from the Octurne. Her jaw flexed before she simply thrust the letter she’d received at Talith—still clutched in her hand all this time—and collapsed bonelessly to the couch.
Astarael's letter to Sav
Sav,
I do not know if you can ever forgive me for breaking my promise to you, but I hope that someday you might. I know I said we would always be together. And I really hoped it could be true.
I feel like a coward, slinking out the door when no one is around to stop me. But I’m sure someone would, if given the chance.
It tears my heart into a million pieces to leave you all. But you, most of all. You were my first real friend. The first person I ever trusted, and came to depend on. Your company means the most to me of all.
But the time has come for me to go. We achieved what we set out to do for the barony of Isendel, and I know in my heart that the time has come for me to go and resolve to do the same for Moraeth. I know that I must leave now, while you’re all gone, or I’ll just stay. And follow you forever. To every book filled tower and workspace you can get your hands on.
But I can’t. The further south I’ve gone, the louder the voices become. The stronger my power grows, and yet…I am unsure if I’m really in control. Maybe it’s the memories of this place, too, that haunts me like the ghosts in the wind.
I have to go. Before I hurt someone I love. Or I’m driven to madness.
Please try to understand.
I hope you return safely from the Octurne and can read this. And I hope that someday, somewhere, we can be together again, and tell each other tales of what we’ve accomplished while apart.
I love you, Sav. Always.
Star
Talith
In the same instant that the name left his lips, he was met with reality. At first, he was a bit caught off guard to see Sav standing in his room, but a beat or two later, it felt a little less surprising than it would have been if, say, someone without magic or someone he didn’t know had been in his room. It was a good thing too as Talith had been so lost in thought that the idea of danger in his room hadn’t even crossed his mind. Instead of danger, Talith was met with silence which seemed to linger a bit longer than it actually did.
“Oh, Sav…?” The words seemed to be a mix of confusion and acknowledgement.
Talith’s heart skipped a beat when Sav held out the letter clenched in their fingers. Two letters in one day. He could only wonder who else might have left or what new danger this letter might convey. All things said, Talith felt as though he could really use a break right about now. As he took the letter with Sav collapsing to the couch just after, he couldn’t help but feel that they could use a break right about now as well.
“Another one?” It was really more of a statement than a question.
The floor gave an unwelcome creak as Talith found a spot on the arm of the couch to carefully sit. He unfolded and smoothed out the letter and began. Though Talith didn’t speak, the words in the letter were more than enough to break the silence filling the room. He was hopeful at first that this letter might bring more clarity to the situation. While it did paint a clearer picture, his hope washed away as he let his hand fall limp to his thigh.
A breeze filled the room from the open window. “You got one too.” He said as his eyes drifted outside. “I was beginning to wonder if someone else left as well…” Exhaustion hovered over his words as he handed Sav his own letter, his gaze still at the window.
Astarael's letter to Talith
Dear Talith,
I’m sorry I couldn’t stick around to say goodbye, but if I didn’t leave now, I never would. My powers are growing stronger, and I feel the time is now to go and end my curse. There can be no future for us until I do. I will always be too dangerous until I’m free of this. I hope you understand, and can forgive me.
Until we meet again someday,
Astarael
Sav
For an awkwardly-long moment, Sav stared blankly at the letter Talith proffered, before some spark of social awareness and curiosity prodded them to take the paper.
They read it. Blinked. Turned it over and rustled it as though expecting to find more written on the back, or for another sheet to fall out. Turned it back over again and reread the slim collection of lines.
She raised her gaze from the letter to Talith, eyes wide in a surprise that had actually stayed the threatening tears. “Wow, she told ye even less than me.”
A scowl immediately followed. “She wouldnae even tell us of the voices getting stronger when we might’ve helped, nor even give ye aught more, an’ ye her lover—” Her voice caught on that, in indignation on Talith’s behalf, or perhaps something else. “Promises fell so easily from her lips, an’ yet there she went th’ moment we were gone, an’ noo with the tower fallen an’ the Twisted King back she still would stay her course an’ leave us—”
No, despite the fury they were attempting to cultivate, the tears were still coming back—born of hurt, or anger, or exhaustion after everything that had happened today, or the memory of what Astarael had said in response to the one Sending they had had the energy left for. They clenched their teeth again to hold back another hitch in their voice, but the tears leaked slowly, hotly from their eyes as they sprang up from the couch and began to pace back and forth in an attempt to regain their composure, fingers interlaced across the top of their head.
Talith
His gaze still hadn’t left the window when Sav looked from the paper to Talith. Nor did his gaze leave the window when he was reminded of how brief Astarael’s goodbye was to him. It wasn’t until the words, “ye her lover” and the following statements that aggressively beckoned Talith’s gaze away from the window as well as Sav. Whether it was because Sav’s words were true or because Sav seemed to be feeling how Talith should, he couldn’t say, but that aggressive beckoning, almost demanding, seemed to bring with it a sense of validation that he didn’t even know should exist. It then wasn’t the aggressive beckoning, but the validation that made the tears linger in his throat, attempting to climb to his eyes as if to match the hitches in Sav’s voice. Even with all of the beckoning and validation, Talith resisted shifting his gaze from the open window - it was the only thing keeping the tears in his throat.
Once again, a creaking noise pierced the room as Sav rose from that seemingly restrictive seat. This broke Talith’s gaze as his attention blinked to them, his eyes widened as his lips parted ever so slightly. He instinctively reached his hand out as if to somehow console his friend. Their fingers clutched to their hair, the feverish pacing, the tears beginning to break free - Talith couldn’t help but ever so briefly feel the nervous ticks and onslaught of anxiety attacks that took him in the past even if the situation was different.
Empathy ensued followed by a sense of sudden calm and uncharacteristically level headedness that seemed to melt everything else as Talith’s body moved. Another creaking noise seemed to announce Talith’s newfound composure when he took a single pace to block the path of his friend’s. Whether it was because he himself knew this was what he unknowingly wanted in his past attacks or if it was because it just seemed like the right thing to do for a friend in need, he couldn’t say. He didn’t have to. His body moved on its own as he lifted his arms around Sav and maintained a gentle squeeze.
Sav
Five steps. Turn. Retrace her steps. Turn. Five steps. Turn. Five—
Her pattern interrupted by Talith suddenly in her path, Sav raised her gaze from the carpet and dropped her hands to her side, fists clenching as her thwarted emotions began to redirect to lash out against this new target—
Arms circled around them, pulling them into a tight embrace that brooked no opposition. Their body was stiff at first, instinctively resisting this new unexpected attack, and they put their hands up against his chest with the full intent of pushing him away.
Instead, they burst into sobs.
All her pent-up feelings, finding an unobstructed path, came flooding out all at once. Hurt, anger, exhaustion, betrayal, grief, fear, all jumbled together and were unleashed in an anarchic horde. Words tumbled out with the tears, skipping and hitching like pebbles caught in a torrent, crushed into near-unintelligibility by a combination of sobs, her natural brogue thickening with the strength of her emotions, and sobbing them into Talith’s shoulder.
“—I lov’d her an sh’ left again—how’s’t sh’ cannae—trust—must ha’ been plannin e’en befo’e we left—wouldae done anythin if sh’ jist trusted me—but noo th’ toow’r—aw that knowledge helt i’ those pyramids, tha’ queer lib’ry or archive or wha’eva—aw lost noo, gaun f’rever, an’ me wi’ on’y a scrap left i’ m’ bag—’s whit I’ve been wo’king towa’d aw this time, an’ I-I-I had on’y a few scraps tae look aboot, an’ ‘twas sae empty, an’ broken, aw those constructs wo’kin towa’d some purpose I feel ‘n mah bones canny no be guid—an I’m maybe th’ on’y wan wi’ any kennin’ o’ their wo’k—if I don’ go th’ world cou’—he wis so beau’ful an awful naebdy cou’ staun gainst tha’ hoo cou’ I—”
Talith
Through the tears and breaks in their voice, Sav’s words brought a complexity that most would in this situation. At the same time, inflection and body language that were enough to make even the gods weep reverberated in Talith’s chest and arms with every shake and hitch that overtook Sav’s voice. This conveyed all Talith needed to know.
And the tears continued for as long as they needed to.
Once the frustration, anger, pain, and sorrow finally seemed to begin to subside along with the reverberation in his chest, a refreshing, relaxed breeze filled the room accompanied by the chirping of a bird. Suddenly, the aftermath outside felt a little better, at least for the moment. Talith released his embrace while bringing one hand to his hip and outstretched a finger from his other hand to tap on his lip as he pondered for a moment.
A subtle smile curved the corner of his lips accompanied by a familiar gentle embrace in his words, “My next path will take me to Moraeth.” He paused for a beat, “It might take a little bit with everything going on outside and gathering supplies for the trip, but I figure it’ll give Astarael some time to travel alone like she wanted.” He lets his hand drop from his lip to his other hip. “Because…I think I understand to some degree. There were times when I did keep secrets about The Suffering and my interactions with it because…I felt like a hostage - like what if it killed anybody I told this or that? What if it had some secret bigger hold on me than I realized? What if everyone I told became a puppet for The Suffering and I was unknowingly the vessel to spread its influence? In short, there was too much I didn’t know and I was scared. It made me feel like there was a part of me that had to be alone.” Another beat went by before Talith’s tone brought with it a sense of optimism. “Besides, I like to think that maybe the reason my letter was so short is because she felt like she had to push me away. You can’t be alone if someone so close to you is worrying about you.”
Talith turned and paced a relaxed, composed circle before turning to face Sav again. “Regardless, there are so many evils and corruption out in this world…and we choose which one to battle. Maybe one is so powerful now and it’s defeated, well now the one we ignored is suddenly even more powerful. We choose our battles. Maybe we’re better suited or more knowledgeable for one battle over the other. I think that’s why it helps to have friends even if you’re far apart. More than one battle can be fought annnd we can all meet back up again when needed!” He held up two fingers together and gently let them sail down in a chopping motion onto her shoulder, almost in the same motion of knighting a person. “Besides, I want to keep the promises that fall from my lips as best as I can. I told Astarael I would go with her to Moraeth, and so that’s where I’m going. I’m gonna fight that battle with her and then drag her ass back north and fight that battle. AND then she’s gonna have some serious explaining to do to everyone!”
He keeps his fingers placed on Sav’s shoulder. “I like to think that everything will make more sense then… That’s the plan.”
Sav
It took only a couple handful of minutes or so before the torrent of words slowed, then ceased, and the gasping breaths were hauled painfully back under control. Little quivers of aftershock sobs still trembled through her belly, but Sav was sufficiently in control to push back from Talith, face as red from embarrassment as from crying. She dropped back onto the couch she’d so recently sprung up from, leaning elbows on knees and occasionally sniffling and wiping her face with the orange cloth around her neck, leaving unlovely snail-trails on the much-abused old scarf. Well, it wasn’t the first time she’d used it to dry her tears, and it probably wouldn’t be the last.
“Whit a waily cunt I’ve turnt intae these days,” she muttered, as much to Talith in a halfway apology as to herself. In sudden anxious, guilty reassurance, she added, “An’ when I said I loved her, I meant—ye know—like a sister an’ aw.” She risked a glance at his face but immediately dropped her gaze before it quite landed, unprepared for any reaction he had there to her words, false as they were.
Even if it had taken her life’s ambition literally crumbling and her main support leaving her to realize that.
Talith’s words dragged her gaze back up to him again, this time in surprise and more than a tinge of disbelief. “How…” She had to bark a laugh, congested though she was from the crying fit, at his explanation of why his letter had been so short. “How can ye be such an optimist, after all ye’ve gaun through?” She’d meant it as a bit of a good-natured scoff, but it came out softer and more wondering than she’d intended. They had, none of them, gone through life without accumulating more than their fair share of scars and traumatic experiences. Yet somehow here he was, looking forward with hope to a future that trended more toward certain death than uncertain life.
She looked down at his paired fingers on her shoulder—knighting? nomination? promise?—and shook her head. “‘Tis a mental plan, just the two o’ ye ‘gainst a land of dark ravening monsters, an’ wi’ time enough left tae meet us up north for tea after it aw.” She hesitated, then added, “But I mind me of a time when I thought ye deid, and look at ye now, staunin there like a great big numpty.”
She stood as well, then, taking one of his hands and holding it in both of her own. “Make no promises then—I willnae have it—but I expect ye to dae your utmost t’ protect her. Tae protect ye both.” She half-squeezed, half-shook his hand to emphasize her words. “I cannae go wi’ ye t’ see it done myself, much as my heart tells me I ought—I think the threat o’ the Twisted King be the greater threat by far than some undead lairds lurkin’ in Moraeth, an’ I know naebody who’s worked so much t’ understand how the angels’ magic works as I, no even Danica, though she has the advantage of instinct.” Her mouth twisted, the taste in them bitter as gall, as she reaffirmed her decision in the face of this terrible choice. “‘Star is important t’ me, but the King in Glory be important t’ the fate of the world, an I must needs set aside what I want t’ dae here, I think.”
Talith
This time, the floor near the couch had seemingly decided that a lower pitch creak would be better as Sav moved to sit back down.
Talith stayed silent as he let Sav lead so that he could follow her words and actions. Once or twice he would nod in agreement or even subtly avert his eyes for a quick moment of thought as he listened. Almost as if painted by an orderly ballet of entropy, he felt the colors echo in the room with doubt, reassurance, disbelief, embarrassment, and a whole slew of various other actions and emotions - and like a canvas coated in his current, single color, he took it all in.
“Well, I—“ Talith began to say in a low, quiet voice before Sav had stood and took his hand between her own, distracting his words and claiming his attention once more. He blinked as she continued and his posture fell to the attention that had been claimed.
Talith caught the subtle twisted expression on Sav as she spoke of the dangers the King in Glory could bring if not stopped. He was without a doubt a major concern. This of course couldn’t be easy for Sav either, but Talith couldn’t help but admire her decision when most might not be able to decide at all.
“You’re right.” He couldn’t deny, of course, that her logic and reasoning did make sense. “The King in Glory is the greater threat and something does need to be done. If anyone should be going in his direction out of our group, well you make a valid point. It should be you - no, it’s probably imperative that you go. If something isn’t done about him… Well then there’s no point in me following Astarael.” It was true. Talith couldn’t think of any way to justify him following after her if they were all just going to die anyway.
A moment of fresh air passed when Sav’s request resurfaced in Talith’s own thought. “I won’t tell you that I promise I’ll find Astarael, help her, and then we’ll all be together up north and everything is just going to work out, but it is what I’ll strive for. Astarael left, but I want to keep as much of the promise that I made to her as I can.” Talith returned the half-squeezed handshake. “I wouldn’t be able to keep any bit of my promise if you weren’t going towards that Twisted King anyway. This dilemma becomes a little easier this way.” Ah, yes. This felt much easier to say than making some promise with mountains of pressure latched onto it. “And besides…” Talith would have made some kind of smooth or reassuring gesture, but as the impulse hit, he seemed to recall that his hand was already engaged in a gesture of sorts. He continued, “I won’t be going alone after Astarael. It might take just a little bit of time, but I’ll find some trustworthy allies! It shouldn’t be too hard, all things considered - it helps to have friends.” Talith presented a notably intentional grin. “It helps even more when one of those said friends has recently found himself in a position of power!”
Sav
She let out a breath, half-acknowledgement, half-relief, and dropped her hands from around his. “Thank ye. ‘Tis all I can ask of ye in this moment.” Her expression gained a bit of a dubious cast at the mention of “friends in a position of power”—the only person she could think of that fit that bill was the lost baronet they all seem to know, who she’s literally only seen maybe once and never talked to—but well. Talith knew him, she didn’t, he was probably? a better judge of what this Alistair would be willing to do.
They hesitated, the talk of promises and Talith’s disappearance casting a memory into the tail end of their mind. They feel their face heat—what an earnest child they’d been then… not even a year ago? Had it been that short? This last year felt more like a decade.
A promise might be a promise, but this one they’d said as much to themselves as to the then-gone Talith, and none of their intentions since then had changed. The circumstances had, some—the Suffering was no longer the most evil, the most corrupted form of the Weave they’d ever seen, an insult to the grandeur of magic. Whether the Suffering or Aluvyn’dralor were worse was—well, snake eyes in the one hand, two pips in the other, really.
Still, Sav meant to leave Talith with some assurance in return, even if they didn’t particularly wish to reveal what a soppy wean they’d been. So they said slowly, “Look… this may go without saying, seeing as any right-minded folk would fight against it an it shows its nose, but… I’ve no forgot about The Suffering. The Twisted King might be the mair obvious threat right now, but there’ll be no rest for me until both are gone. So if ye ever need aid in that—ye can count on me. I’ll have a passel o’ folk to keep up wi’, but I’ll do my best to keep in contact wi’ ye at least once or twice a grasp.”
With that, they gave him a watery smile and turned toward the door, clearly intending to depart with no more a farewell than that. This was, after all, probably not going to be the last time they saw each other before leaving the city. And how does one say a dignified goodbye to someone after sobbing all over them? No, better just to leave as quickly as possible.
Talith
A slight singe of heat flashed somewhere in the depths of Talith’s mind at the mention of the Suffering. The last thing Vivian, no - the Suffering had told him was to travel to the Octurne for answers and so he did only to find nothing of the sort. Quite frankly it left him a bit more than frustrated. He could only assume that he was being toyed with or that there was still some connection between the recent events and the Suffering that he still hadn’t been able to piece together. But alas, it was relieving to hear that Sav still had the Suffering in mind especially with all that had happened to distract. Somehow, it made this battle that Talith held so close to his heart a little less lonely and the young man could only smile.
“Thank you, Sav. And I’ll do my best to—” What could be said to make this sound good. Something with the ring of two strong warriors parting ways to fight the good fight? Pretty much anything that doesn’t make this moment awkward in all honesty. And a blank slate interrupted any thought that Talith tried to manifest. “I’ll do my best to…do my best!” It would have to do.
Talith watched as Sav left through the door, seemingly a more normal choice than the way she’d entered. Probably a less awkward choice than just hopping out the window. Then again, maybe now it was actually more awkward that Sav left through the door? Ah, yes, that was it. Maybe Sav is the awkward one?
A bit of time had passed as Talith was finishing up replacing that damned loose board by his couch. While he now didn’t have to hear any more creaking noises piercing his brain, it left a bit more room for him to go over the conversation that he and Sav had just shared. He couldn’t help but ponder on how worried and upset Sav had become over Astarael’s departure as he walked over to the window and rested his arms over the sill.
Yeah, Astarael didn’t know how lucky she was to have a friend like Sav who cared so much. The thought continued as he found himself looking up at the sky.
Though, maybe Astarael was aware how lucky she was to some extent. If anything, the extent of her letter to Sav should at least confirm it to SOME degree. Talith then looked down to the people moving around below.
And Talith’s own letter was so…brief and fleeting. But Astarael was likely just trying to push him away…
Right?
Eyes squinting, Talith found himself on the brink of something as he continued to look down below. Connecting dots?
“An’ when I said I loved her, I meant—ye know—like a sister an’ aw,” Sav had said.
Well yeah, of course that was obvious. Now that he thought about it, why did she seem to get a little flustered? There’s nothing wrong with loving those that are close to you, right? He himself hadn’t gotten flustered over something like that about his friends.
Then again, Sav is the awkward one, right?
Except, Talith did get a little flustered at one point with one of his friends, but that’s only because it was Astarael, and he himself had only barely begun to admit his feelings about her-
Talith dashed towards the letter, now on his desk, and swiftly swiped it upwards. He scanned the whole thing before checking the back for more as Sav had done. Nothing. There was absolutely nothing else on the paper to read.
“Ah…” Talith said as he gently and delicately set the letter back down onto his desk. He then sprawled his fingertips onto its oakwood surface as he leaned his torso back and looked up to the ceiling before smiling. “Nahhh…probably not.” He said to himself. Though, his gaze betrayed his words as he couldn’t help but find himself looking inquisitively towards the door that Sav had left through not all that long ago.
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Epistolary Farewells | 68 Autumn
Astarael departs while the others are away, leaving only words behind. (Astarael, Carter)