[P] I had a dream,

[Eik]

This citadel makes him feel at once big and small and the two feelings are constantly at war-- until Eik and Asterion meet forehead to forehead, as brothers would. Oh, how that touch reaches deep into the core of him. It fills him with a sense of calm, when he never realized he was anything but. What a wonder that Eik can feel at home even in a strange land, surrounded by more strangers he can count-- and one very dear friend. 

"I missed you too, friend. It's been too long."

They stand with their own thoughts and despite everything, the flood and fire and waves and snow, despite the chains of the past and the uncertainty of the future, if he reaches deep enough inside himself he finds a stubborn spark of gratitude. To be alive, and here, and now... for at least this moment, it feels like a gift.

Eik has never had anything to give before, so he carefully watches his friend's reaction as he looks at the fossil. The look on his face is reassuring-- this is Eik's first successful gift giving, and it fills him with a warm, pleased, buzzing feeling. "You're welcome." Has he ever said those words before? He cannot remember.

Asterion's eyes are filled with questions then, and Eik imagines his must look the same-- except less like constellations and more like dark water. The bay goes first, as kings should, and Eik smiles to himself privately at the thought. How is he? "Well, erm," He immediately realizes he isn't quite sure, he hasn't stopped to think about it for a while.

"Confused..." He seems uncertain that is the right word. "Tired. Solterra is managing, but it's been tough." He says this with more confidence, and then circles back to the first point. The edge of his lips twitch as though unable to decide what emotion to express. "I've started to... hear things. That others are thinking. Or sometimes I'll see what they're imagining. Sometimes it's just... thoughts without words. Feelings." He hasn't had the chance to explain all this to anyone yet. It sounds like madness to say it out loud, which is not a great surprise because for a time he thought it was madness. Once he realized the voices were not all his own, he slowly began to develop some semblance of control. Some small semblance-- the magic is a willful thing.

He looks for more words to describe it but ah, but he's tired of speaking. Eik has always been a man of action, in his quiet way. "I could show you, if you'd like." His smile now is a little shy-- the open use of magic is both a wonderfully and terribly personal thing, even moreso among friends.

When talk of magic and feelings are over, he follows his friend toward the balcony, head tilted in curiosity. "Who is it?" If he were with anyone else, he would suspect this was a setup for a trick, but with Asterion the thought does not even come to mind.

@Asterion they are the cutest <3