[Well, now he gets that eyeroll, but it seems more fond than anything??? It's fine.]
Don't get ahead of yourself, Griss. I'm paying off a debt and nothing more. But...I promise I will, yeah.
[And for a moment, Alear pauses at that. Lets the quiet settle over the room, and her brow seems to furrow a bit as she thinks. Griss will likely be able to see all of it, and when she looks to him next, her tone is serious.]
[Good, he's smugly satisfied with both the answer and the eyeroll and he's perfectly content to fall silent for a bit.
...Should he go? Maybe she needs some space. She is still healing, after all. But he doesn't want to leave, and now that he's said what he wanted to, he has no reason to stay.
Yet he remains anyway, watching her brow crease in concentration.]
Uh... no? Enlighten me?
[Unfortunately for her, Griss is still an idiot and not quite following.]
[She stops herself from adding onto that, but she says that with conviction. It's like a demand, an order she'd issue to attack, but there's determination in it.]
No matter what we face, no matter what comes next...I don't want you to die out there. I'm not going to ask you to stop protecting Zephia, or anything like that, but...I don't want you to be reckless in the coming battle. I want you to still be around when it's all over.
[The conviction stops there, and she hasn't stopped looking at him until now. She's not sure why those words feel like they've got her chest in a vicegrip, but she leans away from him and averts her gaze, suddenly just...very, very unsure.]
It probably says something about him that even though they're approaching their final battle, he hadn't even thought about the possibility of dying. Even though Alear very nearly died, he hadn't thought about what Sombron might do against her. Maybe he hasn't been taking this seriously. Or maybe he hasn't wanted to stop and think about it.
It probably says something else about him that he's left without words, for once. His chest is tight like he's unable to breathe, though there are no hands at his neck. That probably says something about him too, and he's not sure he wants to know what it is.]
War's unpredictable. By now, you've gotta know that better than anyone else.
But I can promise you that I've got no interest in dyin'. You owe me a fight, after all.
[...]
So... Be a little more careful, will you?
[He wants to ask her to stay safe. Maybe even to leave the fighting to all the people willing to put their lives on the line for the Divine One. But he knows that's not happening; it'd just be insulting to even ask that of her. She's going to be the one to put an end to Sombron, they both know it.
She'd better still be alive at the end, that's all.]
[She's said too much. That silence hangs in the air for far longer than Alear wants, and for a moment she wonders if she's gone too far. Too far where? Alear doesn't know, but the vicegrip on her chest grows tighter and tighter, and for a brief moment she wonders if her heart might burst. She doesn't know why. Was it something she said? She just wants him to be careful. That's all it is. That's all it has to be, right? It's nothing more...right?
When Griss finally speaks up, it does nothing to release the hold on her chest. It lightens, if only briefly, but the grip of something else replaces it. She's not sure what; she's not sure she wants to know what. But...]
I promise. [It comes out breathless when she says it.] I promise that I'll do everything I can to be careful. We're going to put an end to my Father's ambitions, and at the end of it all, we'll both be alive to tell the tale. I promise, I'll do everything I can to make it so.
[Alear's hand seems to move on it's own--she's not sure why, but she's become so used to reaching out to him. But this isn't a hand meant to pull him up, off of the ground where they both lay tired. This isn't the hand of an apology, before one's final breath.
Alear doesn't know why she reaches for one of Griss's hands, but she lays it atop of one of them, like a tangible promise. Her skin is going to positively burn later, in embarrassment; it's already starting to now. But...]
...Thank you, Griss. It means a lot more than I can express.
[Alear's hand finds his, and Griss isn't entirely sure when or why he decided to grasp her hand in return and refuse to let go, but here we are. His grip is tight, almost like he expects her to try to pull back.]
Hey, c'mon, no need to get sappy on me.
[He says, despite having her hand in a vicegrip...]
I know we'll make it through. You make me...
[want to see what the world will be like when this is over.
...Ugh, gross, that is way too saccharine of a sentiment and Griss makes a face.]
I'm not gonna let anything happen to me, so don't waste your time worrying, got it?
[Alear doesn't let go; she doesn't think she could even if she wanted to, but something about that gesture makes her heart jump to her throat. The unfinished sentence, everything about this--]
I won't. I'm going to look forward to the future, and to what will come of it. Because I know we're going to win.
[She should let go. She doesn't want to let go or move her hand, or do everything, despite the tension that feels like it's building. Towards what? Alear doesn't know, but...
...]
But...hey. Mind if I give something to you? Not a new scar or anything, but something else.
[Because there isn't any other option. Besides, no matter what Sombron throws at them, they'll rally around Alear. And they've got Zephia, so there's really no point in worrying him.
That seems to settle Griss a bit and his grip loosens on Alear's hand; she can pull away now if she wants.]
Can't imagine anything would be better than a new scar, but sure. If you wanna.
[Despite the laidback words, he does look curious.]
[Alear has always kept the Pact Ring close to her; she always does. She keeps it wrapped up and on her person, as a precious memory and something to share with others, should the day come. It's cultural significance isn't lost on her, but Alear wants to derive her own meaning from it.
And...
She doesn't know if she's found it, but she's found someone she wants to give it to. That's meaning enough, right?
She only pulls away to grab something out of her pocket; what she holds out to him is a wrapped up box. A little messily wrapped, but still enough to carefully secure it's contents.]
Now, you're not allowed to open this until we've won, okay? I'm gonna hold you to it. But...when we win, you can unwrap it and come talk to me. Does that sound fine to you?
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no subject
[The title is sarcastic as always, but Griss (unsurprisingly) sounds very pleased with her words.]
I'll be lookin' forward to it. So hurry up and heal already.
no subject
Don't get ahead of yourself, Griss. I'm paying off a debt and nothing more. But...I promise I will, yeah.
[And for a moment, Alear pauses at that. Lets the quiet settle over the room, and her brow seems to furrow a bit as she thinks. Griss will likely be able to see all of it, and when she looks to him next, her tone is serious.]
...But you know what that means for you, right?
no subject
...Should he go? Maybe she needs some space. She is still healing, after all. But he doesn't want to leave, and now that he's said what he wanted to, he has no reason to stay.
Yet he remains anyway, watching her brow crease in concentration.]
Uh... no? Enlighten me?
[Unfortunately for her, Griss is still an idiot and not quite following.]
1/2
Alear doesn't know what she expected.]
no subject
[She stops herself from adding onto that, but she says that with conviction. It's like a demand, an order she'd issue to attack, but there's determination in it.]
No matter what we face, no matter what comes next...I don't want you to die out there. I'm not going to ask you to stop protecting Zephia, or anything like that, but...I don't want you to be reckless in the coming battle. I want you to still be around when it's all over.
[The conviction stops there, and she hasn't stopped looking at him until now. She's not sure why those words feel like they've got her chest in a vicegrip, but she leans away from him and averts her gaze, suddenly just...very, very unsure.]
...Can you promise that, Griss?
no subject
It probably says something about him that even though they're approaching their final battle, he hadn't even thought about the possibility of dying. Even though Alear very nearly died, he hadn't thought about what Sombron might do against her. Maybe he hasn't been taking this seriously. Or maybe he hasn't wanted to stop and think about it.
It probably says something else about him that he's left without words, for once. His chest is tight like he's unable to breathe, though there are no hands at his neck. That probably says something about him too, and he's not sure he wants to know what it is.]
War's unpredictable. By now, you've gotta know that better than anyone else.
But I can promise you that I've got no interest in dyin'. You owe me a fight, after all.
[...]
So... Be a little more careful, will you?
[He wants to ask her to stay safe. Maybe even to leave the fighting to all the people willing to put their lives on the line for the Divine One. But he knows that's not happening; it'd just be insulting to even ask that of her. She's going to be the one to put an end to Sombron, they both know it.
She'd better still be alive at the end, that's all.]
no subject
When Griss finally speaks up, it does nothing to release the hold on her chest. It lightens, if only briefly, but the grip of something else replaces it. She's not sure what; she's not sure she wants to know what. But...]
I promise. [It comes out breathless when she says it.] I promise that I'll do everything I can to be careful. We're going to put an end to my Father's ambitions, and at the end of it all, we'll both be alive to tell the tale. I promise, I'll do everything I can to make it so.
[Alear's hand seems to move on it's own--she's not sure why, but she's become so used to reaching out to him. But this isn't a hand meant to pull him up, off of the ground where they both lay tired. This isn't the hand of an apology, before one's final breath.
Alear doesn't know why she reaches for one of Griss's hands, but she lays it atop of one of them, like a tangible promise. Her skin is going to positively burn later, in embarrassment; it's already starting to now. But...]
...Thank you, Griss. It means a lot more than I can express.
no subject
Hey, c'mon, no need to get sappy on me.
[He says, despite having her hand in a vicegrip...]
I know we'll make it through. You make me...
[want to see what the world will be like when this is over.
...Ugh, gross, that is way too saccharine of a sentiment and Griss makes a face.]
I'm not gonna let anything happen to me, so don't waste your time worrying, got it?
no subject
I won't. I'm going to look forward to the future, and to what will come of it. Because I know we're going to win.
[She should let go. She doesn't want to let go or move her hand, or do everything, despite the tension that feels like it's building. Towards what? Alear doesn't know, but...
...]
But...hey. Mind if I give something to you? Not a new scar or anything, but something else.
no subject
[Because there isn't any other option. Besides, no matter what Sombron throws at them, they'll rally around Alear. And they've got Zephia,
so there's really no point in worrying him.
That seems to settle Griss a bit and his grip loosens on Alear's hand; she can pull away now if she wants.]
Can't imagine anything would be better than a new scar, but sure. If you wanna.
[Despite the laidback words, he does look curious.]
no subject
And...
She doesn't know if she's found it, but she's found someone she wants to give it to. That's meaning enough, right?
She only pulls away to grab something out of her pocket; what she holds out to him is a wrapped up box. A little messily wrapped, but still enough to carefully secure it's contents.]
Now, you're not allowed to open this until we've won, okay? I'm gonna hold you to it. But...when we win, you can unwrap it and come talk to me. Does that sound fine to you?
no subject
But Alear's words stop him, and though he makes a face, he doesn't go back to trying to open it.]
You're gonna make me wait? Should'a just given it to me later...
[But he sighs and lifts his shoulders a bit in a half-hearted shrug.]
But fine. I'll wait, only 'cause you asked so nicely.
[...just ignore that he's holding that box with all the care in the world despite his dismissive tone.]
no subject
I appreciate it, Griss. Just think of it as something else to look forward to, when our battle is finally won.
[Because it will be, and soon. Alear has a pretty strong feeling about that.]