Night Sky whimpered and tucked herself even closer - as close as she could without truly smothering or overwhelming him.
"I shouldn't be this upset." She said, knowing full well how ridiculous a comment it was. "I knew it could happen. It can still happen, with you and Arrakis and Meryl and everyone else I know. But it wasn't- it wasn't long enough. He wasn't here long enough." Arms tucked between them, Night Sky shifted so she could run her thumb over the head of the small wooden dog clutched in her palm. "I forgot how much it hurts."
"Why shouldn't you be upset?" Red Son asked, like it was the strangest thing she could say. "Someone you care about is gone? It wouldn't be worse if it didn't hit you hard. That's what it means to love someone."
He runs a hand down her back, rubbing soothing circles there, looking at the ceiling over her head. "And you love so much and so quickly."
Red Son didn't always have the best track record when it came to empathy, but if there was one thing he understood, it was missing someone you loved.
Some might suggest she loved too much, too quickly. But Night Sky always lived as if she was on borrowed time still, like she would miss her chance to tell people she loved them and would regret it for the rest of her life if she didn't.
"At least I got to tell him my name, and that I did love him. At least I can find him again, eventually." She murmured into Red Son's neck. "It just sucks. I don't want to be sad."
"I know. But there isn't anything quite so sad as to be a person unmourned, Daeleth," Red Son said, kissing the side of her head. "Even the living deserve it, when we can't get to them. We still suffer as if they had passed. The only difference is we can hope that we'll see them again, though hope is always a double edged sword."
Red Son, as always, proved to be the grounding force she needed to keep herself from falling victim to her own emotions. Although now his logic was also profoundly empathetic, and she was glad he could speak it so clearly while she was struggling to keep her own thoughts in line.
"I told him I'd see him again, so I have to." Her wish was to move between worlds as she pleased, and Red Son's own ability to do so would be a boon just as much. It wasn't an absurd hope to have.
Night Sky sighed and tilted her head back to look up at him, her bright eyes hazy with tears and rimmed with red. "I'm glad you're still here." If he ever left before her, she genuinely had no idea what she would do.
"You will. We live forever and time between dimensions is more malleable. We can find him and figure out the timing," he said. They are immortal, after all. He's less sure on Halsin's situation.
"If I figure out the way home, I'm bringing you with me," he said. He refuses to let the Green Knight to have her again. He's bringing her right to his world and they can figure out all the logistics of dimensional travel after the fact.
All Night Sky knew was that Halsin was a few centuries old and likely would live longer than most. Really, she should have been more worried about interdimensional travel and Meryl and Arrakis, given that one was human and the other was already dead. But they were still here, and thus that was not something she cared to worry about while she was already concerning herself with her druid.
... and her prince, now they she thought about it. Night Sky's brows furrowed. "And what if I go back before you do, or vice versa? That's the worst part about all of this, Red Son. It's unpredictable. We could wake up and one of us could be gone."
Red Son was silent for several moments. That was a good point. Unfortunately. "All right. Then when you're calm down, I'm going to do a spell. It takes an hour and you'll need to meditate, but you'll have to try and be emotionally centered for it. It'll make it easier overall," he said.
"It is, yes," he said. "And no, the spell can't do any harm to you. Like I said, if I do it a lot in quick succession, it can make me fuzzy, but one off is fine," he said, waving a hand in the air. "That's why it takes an hour to do. It lets me look at a whole of a soul, down to its deepest parts. Of course, identifying things is a whole other matter. Souls are malleable things, so usually being able to tell things about a soul depends on seeing something similar before. However, apart of every soul is the places that mean a lot to them, including where they're from. I know where that part is, and I know how its incorporated into the dimensional spell."
On the one hand, that would well and truly solve the problem of finding one another on the chance one left before the other. On the other hand... seeing into the depths of her soul was a odd concept that she could only barely fathom. Night Sky imagined what horrors resided there, buried deep and forgotten - or what hints of her binding to the Green Knight he might find. The Archfey had to be entwined with her soul somehow, she assumed. He was the one that brought her back after all. The one that controlled her.
"I trust you." She said, as if he did not know as much already. "I just... need a little while still. You being here helps. I can think about you instead of how fucking sad I am."
To be fair, seeing one's soul is a lot more nebulous than he's describing. He would see the Green Knight. Her revival and his control over here would be present. But its not as if he's going to get specific memories or the like. Just the state of her soul and experiences that would heavily impact her. Like her sickness, her death.
But its like he said. He needs a reference to truly understand what he's seeing.
"All right. Then when you think you can successfully meditate for an hour," he said, and tightened his hold on her, pulling her close again.
Night Sky would put her trust in him regardless. So if he claimed to know what he was doing, she would believe him and hope nothing in her soul would upset him somehow.
She nodded and nestled into him again, still idly stroking the head of the wooden dog she held. The ache in her heart lingered, but it wasn't so bad with Red Son there. It seemed like the obvious thing to do, coming down to see and comfort her without question, but it meant so much to her that he did. Little things like that spoke volumes- especially with Red Son.
Eventually, she actually fell asleep while cuddled up into him. And awoke a short time later with a soft sigh. "We can probably try now." She said, carefully setting the dog statue beside the bed and rubbing her eyes. "Probably better to do it before I have time to think again."
Red Son would keep holding her close, lightly stroking her hair. Letting her hold onto the carved dog, cry if she feels the need to. When she lost Halsin, it really wasn't a question for him to come. He wouldn't accept doing anything else, not when he does care a great deal about her. He might be a villain, but he's not heartless.
And he understands the pain of missing too well, even if he had cared less.
So he holds her as long as she needs him, finally dozing off himself for a while. Waking up when she speaks, opening an eye blearily. "Hm? Oh, the spell?" He asked, voice a bit slurred. He's a slow person to wake up.
Night Sky chuckled and turned so she could cup his cheek and place a gentle kiss to his lips.
"Did you fall asleep?" She asked, smiling, genuinely, for the first time since she realized Halsin had vanished. "And yeah, the spell, but don't rush because of me. Gods know you need more sleep than I do..."
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"I shouldn't be this upset." She said, knowing full well how ridiculous a comment it was. "I knew it could happen. It can still happen, with you and Arrakis and Meryl and everyone else I know. But it wasn't- it wasn't long enough. He wasn't here long enough." Arms tucked between them, Night Sky shifted so she could run her thumb over the head of the small wooden dog clutched in her palm. "I forgot how much it hurts."
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He runs a hand down her back, rubbing soothing circles there, looking at the ceiling over her head. "And you love so much and so quickly."
Red Son didn't always have the best track record when it came to empathy, but if there was one thing he understood, it was missing someone you loved.
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"At least I got to tell him my name, and that I did love him. At least I can find him again, eventually." She murmured into Red Son's neck. "It just sucks. I don't want to be sad."
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"I told him I'd see him again, so I have to." Her wish was to move between worlds as she pleased, and Red Son's own ability to do so would be a boon just as much. It wasn't an absurd hope to have.
Night Sky sighed and tilted her head back to look up at him, her bright eyes hazy with tears and rimmed with red. "I'm glad you're still here." If he ever left before her, she genuinely had no idea what she would do.
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"If I figure out the way home, I'm bringing you with me," he said. He refuses to let the Green Knight to have her again. He's bringing her right to his world and they can figure out all the logistics of dimensional travel after the fact.
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... and her prince, now they she thought about it. Night Sky's brows furrowed. "And what if I go back before you do, or vice versa? That's the worst part about all of this, Red Son. It's unpredictable. We could wake up and one of us could be gone."
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"Is this what you talked about when we first met?" She asked. "You never mentioned the soul part. Is that- that can't harm it or anything, right?"
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"I trust you." She said, as if he did not know as much already. "I just... need a little while still. You being here helps. I can think about you instead of how fucking sad I am."
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But its like he said. He needs a reference to truly understand what he's seeing.
"All right. Then when you think you can successfully meditate for an hour," he said, and tightened his hold on her, pulling her close again.
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She nodded and nestled into him again, still idly stroking the head of the wooden dog she held. The ache in her heart lingered, but it wasn't so bad with Red Son there. It seemed like the obvious thing to do, coming down to see and comfort her without question, but it meant so much to her that he did. Little things like that spoke volumes- especially with Red Son.
Eventually, she actually fell asleep while cuddled up into him. And awoke a short time later with a soft sigh. "We can probably try now." She said, carefully setting the dog statue beside the bed and rubbing her eyes. "Probably better to do it before I have time to think again."
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And he understands the pain of missing too well, even if he had cared less.
So he holds her as long as she needs him, finally dozing off himself for a while. Waking up when she speaks, opening an eye blearily. "Hm? Oh, the spell?" He asked, voice a bit slurred. He's a slow person to wake up.
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"Did you fall asleep?" She asked, smiling, genuinely, for the first time since she realized Halsin had vanished. "And yeah, the spell, but don't rush because of me. Gods know you need more sleep than I do..."