09-14-2014, 11:40 AM
Kalen regards the ferrymen silently, solemnly. And after a long moment he gives them a faint nod and then returns his attention to land. Or at least the memory or the idea or the ghost of land. And it is shifting and it is changing and it is casting aside the darkness and the madness that the Nephandus visited upon it.
It becomes again what it was meant to be.
There was a time he thought this might be what he did. Setting to right balances that had been compromised and twisted. Bound in entirely different ways to fate and death.
But he ended up somewhere else, in the end.
And then, eventually, he ended up here, waiting until Sera slips out of her shoes and rises so that he can escort her back to The Message and Alexander. He stays close enough that she could reach him, could grab his hand or slip back onto his arm, and that is something of an invitation. If he didn't want her to touch him, he wouldn't stand close enough.
But there is no dramatic invitation, because Kalen is distracted by the sight of a Nephandus drowning. He hasn't seen anyone drown before. Had Melody screamed? Had he? They must have tried, but he cannot remember. All he remembers is cold. Panic.
He does not answer Gwen because he has no intention of discussing that with her. He does not answer Sera because he is sure she must already know. When he rejoins Alexander and The Message he reaches out again to squeeze Alexander's shoulder and he meets his eyes for only a second. He does not ask. He knows already how much Alexander loves these moments.
He turns to The Message with a faint smile. "One day," he says quietly. "It would be lovely to see you with more a chance to speak with you and less to do. Not that we mind helping you. Just that I know at least some of us like to know how you are." His voice is tired-sounding, maybe, but still warm. Kalen may be counting the seconds until he can curl up into a shuddering mess with a bottle of whiskey, but he does adore The Message.
It becomes again what it was meant to be.
There was a time he thought this might be what he did. Setting to right balances that had been compromised and twisted. Bound in entirely different ways to fate and death.
But he ended up somewhere else, in the end.
And then, eventually, he ended up here, waiting until Sera slips out of her shoes and rises so that he can escort her back to The Message and Alexander. He stays close enough that she could reach him, could grab his hand or slip back onto his arm, and that is something of an invitation. If he didn't want her to touch him, he wouldn't stand close enough.
But there is no dramatic invitation, because Kalen is distracted by the sight of a Nephandus drowning. He hasn't seen anyone drown before. Had Melody screamed? Had he? They must have tried, but he cannot remember. All he remembers is cold. Panic.
He does not answer Gwen because he has no intention of discussing that with her. He does not answer Sera because he is sure she must already know. When he rejoins Alexander and The Message he reaches out again to squeeze Alexander's shoulder and he meets his eyes for only a second. He does not ask. He knows already how much Alexander loves these moments.
He turns to The Message with a faint smile. "One day," he says quietly. "It would be lovely to see you with more a chance to speak with you and less to do. Not that we mind helping you. Just that I know at least some of us like to know how you are." His voice is tired-sounding, maybe, but still warm. Kalen may be counting the seconds until he can curl up into a shuddering mess with a bottle of whiskey, but he does adore The Message.