Work Text:
As meticulous as it had been, you kept the black cloth in your belongings in case you ever had a need for such a silly thing. It had been something Tataru had designed for you, much like how Thancred wore a dressing over his eye for quite some time after he emerged from the live stream. In your hands, you gazed upon the black cloth, feeling the near silk texture of the fabric, your lips crestfallen. Never had you wished to use something of this nature, and yet, you had met the position of such.
A sigh slipped past your lips, a peaceful moment in the Pendants, and yet, it felt so macabre. Y/e/c eyes shifted from the patch in your hands, back to the mirror once more. The clawing itself had not mangled your y/e/c eye as much as you would have thought it to, the gash small in nature, and yet, it held no sight. Your right y/e/c eye had nearly been white in nature, much like Y'shtola's, and yet your aether had not been affected. From what the churigon's spoke, you had the possibility that you would never see properly from your right eye ever again.
Raising the wrapping to your eye, you paused, darkness caught in your peripheral vision. You dropped your hands, gripping the fabric tightly with your right hand as you glanced back upon the Ascian. Once his yellow gaze glanced upon you, you could nearly see a flash of hurt in his eyes, his lips crestfallen.
"I needn't want for your pity, Ascian," you spoke with a glare, though you still turned yourself away as you continued to speak. Your heart tightened in your chest as your fingertips grazed the fresh wound, a subtle cringe, before you pulled the wrapping over to tie behind your head. As you moved to fasten it, both y/e/c eyes closed, unseeing of the way Emet-Selch's teeth shone, biting his bottom lip for a moment.
Before you knew it, you felt the graze of gloved fingers against your own, gently yanking the material from your hands as his hands replaced yours. "I suppose you could at least allow me to help you," he mused as he had not asked whether you truly wanted the help, simply tying it for you, before forcing a smile against his lips. "Truly befitting you, my precious Hero." His words had been forced, an obvious disdain in the depths of them, much unlike his typical banter.
"You have no reason to lie," you chided the Ascian as you turned around, your heart aching in your chest as your gaze landed upon him. "The lightwarden has been felled, and that is all that matters. Is aught amiss?"
The Ascian shook his head, shrugging his shoulders as his gaze shifted. "You don't suppose I showed up simply to check upon the hero of the hour?" He questioned, a hint of snark to his tone, as his lips curled upwards into a half smile. "Though it pains me to admit, as I was informed you took irreparable damage, I feared the worst."
"I suppose that's nearly kind of you," you spoke softly, though your gaze dropped as your heart was held deep in despair's grasp. "Since your fears were for not, you needn't linger. I would suppose you have far more important schemes than gazing upon mine own folly."
His heart nearly broke as his yellow eyes lingered upon you, the thrall of despair nearly a mask against your face. A sigh slipped past his lips as he strode closer to you, a gloved hand moving to cup your cheek. Words barely above a whisper, his words had nearly been soothing, though a deep, unknown guilt resided in them. "What do you suppose I see when I gaze upon you, Hero?" He questioned.
If he had not cared nearly as much as he had, surely he would be able to speak outright, he knew. Emet-Selch could feel the way his heart resided in his stomach, the pain of seeing the injury he had inadvertently caused upon you. The shard of a being you had been, you had been the one to steal his heart away. An old, not so forgotten memory in the ancient's mind, half complete, and yet, his heart still beats for you alone.
"Mayhaps you'll enlighten me," you breathed out, barely above a whisper as you could feel your heart beating out of your chest. No matter your despair, your pain, the warmth of his hand upon your face lured you in. His soft, saddened gaze made you simply wish to wrap your arms around the man, to grant him the peace he wished for eons. Even so, your lingering thoughts kept your hands dangling about your sides.
For a moment, Emet-Selch pursed his lips, the words dancing upon his tongue, and yet, he found himself unable to procure them, to properly convey them to you. As his lips parted once more, what fell from his lips was far weaker than anything he had hoped to speak. "Your soul, though severed, shimmers in blue much like the aether stream," he spoke barely above a whisper. "No matter the marr upon your flesh, the color still shimmers in radiance." Mentally, he cursed himself, and yet, his half-lidded yellow gaze lingered into your own, a gloved thumb trailed against your cheekbone. Mayhaps if his heart had not ached so dearly, he would be able to properly speak a true compliment to you.
Your lips curled upwards at his words, if only the slightest bit more, as your face subconsciously melted into the Ascian's touch. "Thank you, Emet-Selch," slipped past your lips in a breath you had not realized you had been holding. A wave of calmness fell over you, so light as you could hardly feel the ache the grip of despair left upon you as its grip unfolded. Both of you had been a little raw, a little unsure, and yet, you would tuck this moment away in your mind. You would cherish his words spoken, unaware of the depths of the words he had left unsaid as he bid you respite for the eve. Both you and he would wonder if you would be able to convey the words you truly needed before the moons passed, and it would prove too late.