[in the aftermath of the connection, in the silence that's taken up the space it'd once filled, jyn thinks she should probably feel... something. she should feel anger, maybe, that even if she'd known things could surface, they'd gotten much more personal than she'd expected. she should have the kneejerk reaction of fear, revulsion, and everything in between of her given name being exposed — a possibility that's been a threat to her safety and everything she's tried to do just to exist ever since she was a child.
she should feel something, any of these things.
but any flickers of them are burned out, and don't have the means, in this moment, to rekindle.
instead, she mostly feels exhaustion, bone-deep, creeping in again — the toll of sleepless nights, and of the ritual they've just done; that's more than familiar by now. but beyond it, there's something new: lingering zenith energy settling under her skin, and it's... peaceful.
she doesn't know what to make of that.
what she can do, though, is acknowledge byleth's gratitude with a nod, and answer his question. not with her first thought (it's dumb to apologize, because that seems unkind), but:]
It wasn't that strange, [she offers him instead, lifting one shoulder in a shrug before dropping it down quickly again.
things, people, that are understandable aren't strange.]
Do you — [glancing over at him, she pauses as she searches for how to phrase this —] need someone to watch you?
no subject
she should feel something, any of these things.
but any flickers of them are burned out, and don't have the means, in this moment, to rekindle.
instead, she mostly feels exhaustion, bone-deep, creeping in again — the toll of sleepless nights, and of the ritual they've just done; that's more than familiar by now. but beyond it, there's something new: lingering zenith energy settling under her skin, and it's... peaceful.
she doesn't know what to make of that.
what she can do, though, is acknowledge byleth's gratitude with a nod, and answer his question. not with her first thought (it's dumb to apologize, because that seems unkind), but:]
It wasn't that strange, [she offers him instead, lifting one shoulder in a shrug before dropping it down quickly again.
things, people, that are understandable aren't strange.]
Do you — [glancing over at him, she pauses as she searches for how to phrase this —] need someone to watch you?