"No?" she said, floating up next to him, and folding her legs neatly under her, so that it appeared she was sitting. Having no solid ground under her was a bit disconcerting - she was unaccustomed to the sensation. But then, of late, she'd had to acclimate to it metaphorically, so it was probably fitting.
It was actually painful to hear his voice that way. She had never heard that tone from him, that heaviness that said so much about his response to these recent events, about his suffering. She reached out to him, taking his hand and squeezing it. Her eyes rested on his face, even as he only looked up at the limitless sky, and she suppressed the immense sadness that pushed against her anger.
Oh, Aither. What has she done to you?
But she did not speak these thoughts aloud. Instead she asked,
The light would never harm him, could never harm him, but he wished sincerely that it could. A pain of a different kind would be a welcome respite from the pain that his mother had caused him. He focused instead on his sister, and his love for her, and her complete ignorance of it. That was enough, wasn't it? He didn't feel that it was.. he still felt emptier than he ever had before
( ... )
"Oh, Aither," she said softly. She shook her head, and reclined next to him tentatively. She wasn't put off by lying down next to her brother, but rather the utter lack of solid beneath them. After a moment, though, she got her bearings, and stretched out beside him, still holding his hand, sharing his perspective.
"I don't suppose there's anywhere any of us can go to get away from any of this," she remarked. "Not really."
Her thumb stroked his hand softly.
She turned her head to look at him. There was no real need to comment on what Nyx had done to Erebos at this point - no one knew better than Aither the sheer wrongness of that. But Aither, too, had been wronged, in an utterly different way. Nyx's actions twisted in Lachesis' gut; they infuriated her and sickened her and filled the Measurer with a secret, unspoken guilt. Separating the Work from her life was a skill that Lachesis had mastered - but here... now, looking at Aither, she couldn't help but question if she should have done something. Nudged one thing or the
( ... )
Lachesis turned her head away from Aither to look back up to the sky when he told her it wasn't her fault. Something clenched in her chest, hard, but she made no indication of it other than her movement and a breath drawn almost noiselessly
( ... )
Aither had never been a big fan of Fate. He wasn't interested in the inner workings of destiny, and wasn't sure he truly believed, however much he said that he did. He stopped himself from utter denial, however, only for the sake of his dearest sibling. The idea of fate, of predetermined misery, struck him in a heart too tender now for such harsh realities
( ... )
She held his hand, this brother of hers; this god - the best of them all, probably - who now felt such pain and needed reassurance; needed to believe. Lachesis squeezed it with her own, a certainty to her grip that would perhaps be of some comfort to him. Certainty was the only comfort Lachesis had, now. In the past, it had plagued her. The future had looked so bleak for so long - for herself, for her parents, for her family. She had carried at first the inkling, then, the suspicion, then the certain, unyielding knowledge of what would be like a stone in her chest for too long a time. But now that the worst had happened, now that everything important had gone so very wrong, as she’d known it would, there was a new certainty that this would be the worst of it
( ... )
Her words were a comfort, but at the same time, not. Ultimately he couldn't take comfort in it, because he couldn't make himself believe that her words were true. Still, a smile found his face, and his eyes lightened considerably. Not even he knew himself well enough to tell when it was forced.
Well, maybe he did. But he'd even managed to fool his father, time after time.
"I think.. I think I need a bit of time, Lachesis," he said softly, after a moment's thought. "But I'll see you again, tomorrow or a thousand years from now. It will seem like a blink, either way."
His smile remained fixed as he drifted away without fanfare, becoming nothing in an instant. Aither couldn't think of another thing in all the world or heavens to do, but he knew that he couldn't stay there. His sister's kindness, her compassion, invoked other - less brotherly - emotions in him, emotions that he worked hard to contain.
Reply
It was actually painful to hear his voice that way. She had never heard that tone from him, that heaviness that said so much about his response to these recent events, about his suffering. She reached out to him, taking his hand and squeezing it. Her eyes rested on his face, even as he only looked up at the limitless sky, and she suppressed the immense sadness that pushed against her anger.
Oh, Aither. What has she done to you?
But she did not speak these thoughts aloud. Instead she asked,
"And where else should I have gone, Aither?"
Reply
Reply
"I don't suppose there's anywhere any of us can go to get away from any of this," she remarked. "Not really."
Her thumb stroked his hand softly.
She turned her head to look at him. There was no real need to comment on what Nyx had done to Erebos at this point - no one knew better than Aither the sheer wrongness of that. But Aither, too, had been wronged, in an utterly different way. Nyx's actions twisted in Lachesis' gut; they infuriated her and sickened her and filled the Measurer with a secret, unspoken guilt. Separating the Work from her life was a skill that Lachesis had mastered - but here... now, looking at Aither, she couldn't help but question if she should have done something. Nudged one thing or the ( ... )
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Well, maybe he did. But he'd even managed to fool his father, time after time.
"I think.. I think I need a bit of time, Lachesis," he said softly, after a moment's thought. "But I'll see you again, tomorrow or a thousand years from now. It will seem like a blink, either way."
His smile remained fixed as he drifted away without fanfare, becoming nothing in an instant. Aither couldn't think of another thing in all the world or heavens to do, but he knew that he couldn't stay there. His sister's kindness, her compassion, invoked other - less brotherly - emotions in him, emotions that he worked hard to contain.
Perhaps to see Erebos again.
Reply
Leave a comment