09.Mar.12, 12:38 AM
Talian inhaled deeply as he watched Eri approach, the healer's eyes locked forlornly on his friend's haunted, hollow expression. Talian couldn't bring himself to look away, though he knew he wanted to rather badly. It was one thing to hurt himself. It was much harder to be confronted with just how badly he'd hurt the people he'd chosen to stay for. He frowned, eyes widening and welling up with stoic tears as he regarded his friend.
"You mean a lot to me, Eri," Talian said in a shallow, morose tone. His expression's urgency heightened to a sort of pleading before he finally closed his eyes and wiped a tear away. "You're one of the reasons I regret my actions. I understand if you can't forgive me, though..." he said, almost sounding like he was in a daze, as if he'd been hit in the gut. He drew up slightly where he sat, muscles tensing up. He opened his eyes, be it took him a few hesitant moments before her actually met Eri's gaze again.
He saw the pain there. He also saw some sort of facade, though he didn't know what exactly laid behind it. He swallowed hard, refusing to allow a knot to form in his throat. "Either way, I'll always be thankful for you. You're the first person to ever defend me...and you're the first person I ever felt comfortable taking about...her with," he said. He glanced briefly to Valerian, a promise to inform the other harper of all the details soon.
"I wish I could say something more meaningful," he said in a strained voice. "But I'm no harper...I...I don't know the w-words for it..." he said, voice quivering slightly. He looked away suddenly, too scared to face Eri, afraid that in the blink of an eye their friendship would be over. He clutched his bedsheets until his knuckles turned white, much as he had during their first awkward encounter. Fear.
"I don't know what I'd do without you, though."
"You mean a lot to me, Eri," Talian said in a shallow, morose tone. His expression's urgency heightened to a sort of pleading before he finally closed his eyes and wiped a tear away. "You're one of the reasons I regret my actions. I understand if you can't forgive me, though..." he said, almost sounding like he was in a daze, as if he'd been hit in the gut. He drew up slightly where he sat, muscles tensing up. He opened his eyes, be it took him a few hesitant moments before her actually met Eri's gaze again.
He saw the pain there. He also saw some sort of facade, though he didn't know what exactly laid behind it. He swallowed hard, refusing to allow a knot to form in his throat. "Either way, I'll always be thankful for you. You're the first person to ever defend me...and you're the first person I ever felt comfortable taking about...her with," he said. He glanced briefly to Valerian, a promise to inform the other harper of all the details soon.
"I wish I could say something more meaningful," he said in a strained voice. "But I'm no harper...I...I don't know the w-words for it..." he said, voice quivering slightly. He looked away suddenly, too scared to face Eri, afraid that in the blink of an eye their friendship would be over. He clutched his bedsheets until his knuckles turned white, much as he had during their first awkward encounter. Fear.
"I don't know what I'd do without you, though."