Eik cocks his head in confused surprised at Asterion's description of the events of last night. It all seems so... messy. Undignified. He's always been a straightforward man, calmly solving problems with his fists- it is so much easier that way. He does not envy his friend at this moment, and he wishes there was something he could say to help, some words of wisdom or chummish joke, but these are not the sort of things he knows how to say, so he simply muses aloud- "Things are so complicated sometimes, when they could easily be simple."
It becomes impossible not to notice how the shadows grow long. At this point most would probably be wanting to sleep off last night's festivities in the cozy Terrastellan guest quarters. He is, predictably, not like most. There are less distractions (wayward travelers to guide, intriguing rock structures to explore in the distance, etc) at night, and he travels fastest with the moon as his guide.
Still, he lingers even as his heart prepares to return to the desert. He wants to savor the last few minutes here with the colorful bay. There is a sense that everything is changing, everything will change by the next time they see each other. But then again- isn't it always? And then as if in defiance of this thought- Asterion speaks of the cliffs that face the sea, and with a smile we remember: there are some things that never change.
The new regent must feel it too, the fork in the river ahead. They are the same in that way.
Eik suddenly embraces his friend, wrapping his neck over Asterion's and lipping fondly at the base of the stallion's mane. It is the most affection he's shown in what feels like a lifetime, yet there is (surprisingly) nothing awkward about it. "It is time." A sigh. How cherished this moment is! It will keep Eik afloat in the months to come, at least until the streets of Solterra run red and the funeral pyres burn for three days. But even after that, in the very dark times that follow, it will steady him to know he has a friend out there, somewhere far away from the violence and brutality of the day court.
"I will see you soon," Eik says, solidly, and while they are in the stone courtyard they are also at the beach watching the waves, and all their futures stand before them with great promise and mystery and adventure.
@Asterion no worries <3 ah I was thinking the exact same, so much has happened since we started this! I enjoyed this thread so much, these two make me happy :')
Time makes fools of us all
