[As they sit with their hands joined and the closeness of Purification between them, Liem feels something as Hayame glances away from his regard: some dark, simmering feeling behind the quiet of their conversation, making him frown slightly as he looks up at her. This world has seemed kinder to Hayame than the one in which they'd met, but perhaps she is still struggling more to make her way in it than he'd supposed. He well knows how demoralizing it can be to be rejected by those who ostensibly should have included him within their number.
But she has asked a question. Liem considers it for a moment, contemplating the well of Meridian energy that lives at the centre of his chest, where his shard sits — just as hers does. The energy emanating from it feels clear, the shard itself no longer thrumming with feverish warmth.]
I feel better.
[He thinks for a moment more, considering the damp fingers linked with his and the warm tinge colouring Hayame's cheeks. He considers, too, the festivities outside that they've been spurning, only slightly muffled by the drape of canvas sheltering them.]
Thank you for listening to me, Hayame. And for speaking with me.
[He still wishes he might have escaped admitting to her any of what he'd said, but she'd shared something of her own because of it — something he's glad to have had the opportunity to talk with her about. It seems impossible that she could feel the same way about him, but even if she doesn't, perhaps some good has still come of their talk.]
no subject
But she has asked a question. Liem considers it for a moment, contemplating the well of Meridian energy that lives at the centre of his chest, where his shard sits — just as hers does. The energy emanating from it feels clear, the shard itself no longer thrumming with feverish warmth.]
I feel better.
[He thinks for a moment more, considering the damp fingers linked with his and the warm tinge colouring Hayame's cheeks. He considers, too, the festivities outside that they've been spurning, only slightly muffled by the drape of canvas sheltering them.]
Thank you for listening to me, Hayame. And for speaking with me.
[He still wishes he might have escaped admitting to her any of what he'd said, but she'd shared something of her own because of it — something he's glad to have had the opportunity to talk with her about. It seems impossible that she could feel the same way about him, but even if she doesn't, perhaps some good has still come of their talk.]