Eik wonders how he would answer if asked the same question. It is hard to say because he's never had much interest in reinventing himself, rewriting his story. In some ways he has resigned himself to fate and he's floating, floating, floating down the river. When he closes his eyes he can hear it, the flow of the deep water beneath and around him. It is comforting, sometimes, to give himself to the water.
The truth after all these years is that he was running with his ghosts, not from them.
The other man begins to speak. Eik had submitted the cliffside with no expectations, and his question was born of simple curiosity and not a test of character or motive. To his surprise, the stranger's honest and thoughtful answer is not so different from how Eik would have responded-- the idea of it, at least. The grey would have used less words.
This is no interrogation, and so Eik simply nods his head in understanding. "My name is Eik." When did he start to seem so at ease here, with his tail dancing in the dry breeze and the sweat crusted on his flanks? When did he start to feel protective of this place, possessive even? More importantly, what will become of his ghosts, now that he has stopped running? He can feel them gather close around him, hungry and impatient. He does not know what they're waiting for.
Eik tilts his head and looks at the imposing stranger. Finally he offers a small smile. "This place will test your unwavering ideals, you know." His voice is smooth and steady and his words are not meant to intimidate or threaten. It is not even a warning, just... a thought. Eik had not expected Solterra to change him the way it did, slowly, bit by bit, until one day he looked inside and realized everything was just a little different. It is not a good or bad thing, it just is.
I have let myself go where the dust
Has the color of nothing
art by Footybandit
@Phrixus oh hush that was lovely <3
Time makes fools of us all
