Reunion

Jp with Lucian, Omni and Bandorchu

Voah agreed not to push and let Gonyaul be alone for a while. She would come check on him later. For now, she waited by the fire for anyone who wanted to talk.

Alexis returned from the surface, carrying now filled waterskins. She stopped shortly at the entrance, noting that Voah had left Gonyaul to rest, and opted to do the same.

She left a waterskin for Silina and Tarmen, and went over to Voah at the fire, holding the other one out to her.

Voah accepted the waterskin and nodded to Alexis with a smile before her lips kissed the vessel. The water was cool and refreshing.

Alexis joined the ex-Arbiter at the fire, looking into the flames for a while.

“How is he holding up? How are YOU holding up?”
she asked eventually.

She allowed herself an audible sigh of relief after drinking the water like she had been dying of thirst. Then she met the eyes of her friend.

"I have hope. Gonyaul is alive, thanks to you. And he's talking... but... I fear that this has changed him."

She turned her gaze downcast into the fire.

"I've caused him this undue suffering... and that hurts more than anything else." she said, referring to her sustained injuries.

Alexis looked at her, and nodded. Even without the chance to talk to Gonyaul, she had sensed… something.

“It was bound to happen at some point. This is a cruel world. One that doesn’t deserve someone like him.”

She said softly, returning her gaze to the fire herself.

"Truer words were never spoken..."

She wanted to say more but it would probably come off more like self-loathing than concern for Gonyaul, besides, there were other matters to discuss.

"So... it seems Arcadia has thrown something new your way? What is going on, Gatana?"

The mercenary gave a short, bitter laugh.

“Yeah. You could say that.“

She looked back up to Voah.

“Originally? Just wanted to find Islana. Guess I did, in the end.”

Her smile carried the irony.

“Tarmen just… wanted to help me. Really wish I didn’t get him caught up in this mess.”

Hearing Alexis’s words, Tarmen joined the two, letting Silina think.

“You didn’t catch me up in nothin’. I knew we were ridin’ into trouble and begged to come along anyway.”

Strangely, being around them again made it hard to reaffirm his previous grievances, still there but just not as important.