IPOMOEA
yesterday i was clever
H
is heart is trembling like something equally fearful, equally hopeful. It had been so long since he had last been home - Mateo sent letters, but it wasn’t enough, would never be enough. And he had heard nothing from Messalina, which made his heart shudder and worry about all the things that may have gone wrong.Surely Mateo would have mentioned if something had happened, but there had been no mention of the Champion at all. And his mind couldn’t help but fill in the gaps with all sorts of terrible things, remembering the way they had followed a monster deep into the night, wondering if the monster had been following them in truth, if it followed her now…
He blinks quickly, and the dark of the forest fades away. The mountain air is clear and sharp when he breathes it shakily in, but it clears his senses.
"That’s good to hear," it doesn’t sound like his voice speaking, he did not give his tongue permission to, he’s barely aware of saying the words. "Delumine is a good place, a good home…"
She was a soldier she said, and it eases his heart a little. The Dawn Court had always been in need of more soldiers, undoubtedly Ulric would be pleased with the addition of another. And if she was here, that meant she was not needed back home. That meant the Court was safe, or safe enough at least. He can’t help himself from asking. "Are the borders still closed?" It seems so innocent a question, but oh how it makes his wings and heart flutter all the more.
He shakes his head, and soon they come to a part of the trail that widens, just slightly, but it’s enough for him to turn around, enough for them to walk, cautiously, nearly side by side. The drop off here isn’t quite so steep nor so rocky, and as the path turns the prairies of Denocte come into view. He can see the soft tones of the cattails and the blazing stars coloring the landscape.
"Yes," he says, eyeing her with his bright cherry eyes. "It’s why I-" he almost says it’s why he left, but he catches himself. "Why we don’t hear much from them, I imagine." Quiet indeed. A Court that once was known for their travelers, for their love of learning, now locking themselves away at home.
Perhaps now he truly was more Denoctean than Delumine. He no longer understood the need to stay home and hide, not when the other Courts needed help.
She asks him about Denocte them, and he finds himself shaking his head without intending to. "No. I mean, Denocte is wonderful, their markets are lively and bright and the people just as much so. Every day there’s something new and exciting, something to explore." His voice breaks off abruptly, having to stop himself because if he doesn’t, he never will.
He swallows thickly. "It’s a lovely place to live. But it’s not my home."
@Maerys | "speaks" | notes: <3
