[The idea of a stranger or someone from outside of their group being the one to kill Mikleo seems wrong. At least Zaveid is in a position to be able to do that.]
I'm sorry that this is the second time you have to do this. I'll be sure to sever the Shepherd's pact before you face them again. That way, you'll be safe from Sorey trying to use the armatus.
[Until then, they can use it to monitor them and track them down for as long as they're able.]
[ 'I'm glad it's you'. Because he's the murderer, right? Lailah doesn't say it, but that's what it is. He's the one that kills hellions and there's a hellion that needs to die - so it has to be him. That's fine, Zaveid thinks. He's done it before. He can learn to be numb to it. He can shut himself off. No one else needs to think about it. ]
I'll do my best to make sure no one else has to get involved. Don't you worry about me.
[ He does pause, though. Dezel already broke his pact and Zaveid is clinging on, feeling the malevolence and the darkness each time he breathes. If it's gone will he be able to survive going up to the two of them?
It doesn't matter if he dies, he supposes. As long as he can save them. That's his resolve. ]
I'll make sure to let you know. Try not to think about it.
[Lailah hasn't felt this helpless and useless since Michael. She wants to be there to help Zaveid or even to just take the burden off of his shoulders. The fire seraph knows that it's not fair, in any sense, that he has to do this to Mikleo after Eizen.]
Come back safe and I'll stop.
[Maybe. Then, she confesses:]
I want to help you more. Sorey and Mikleo are my responsibility, and it...doesn't feel right to ask this of you.
[ Zaveid, on the other hand, is used to this feeling. He knows what it means to stand before a friend incapable of doing anything, knows what it means to struggle and fight, knows what it means to feel tense and alone, and he's come to terms with it. It's happening again, like an unfolding picture, and he's helpless to stop it. ]
As if I was gonna do anything else.
[ She's not hurting the situation, not really, but Zaveid feels something tight in his throat. ]
Hey. They became my responsibility when I entered the Pact. They're not just your kids to take care of, alright? It can't all go on your shoulders, so stop it.
[How many times have Sorey and Mikleo told her the same thing? That she doesn't have the handle things all on her own? A shame, really, that most of her problems come from things she can't talk about because of her oath.]
I'm their Prime Lord. I must take responsibility regardless. And...Camlann.... [Michael is her fault, but Lailah can't say anything about it.] You can't bear everything on your shoulders, either, Zaveid. We've both had to, you most of all, but this time we should both share it.
Your responsibility is to be their guide and their support. The Shepherd's are human, Lailah. They're gonna make mistakes, just like anyone else. Forgetting that is the worst thing we could do.
[ It's the same for Seraphim, too. Mistakes happen. He thinks of Eizen, of Dezel, of himself, thinks back upon thousands of years of living and history, thinks of his own failures and his own mistakes... The problem is that he wasn't a Shepherd. He was never burdened with such heavy responsibility. He could make his mistakes and not suffer for them - no more than anyone else, at least.
They just have to keep moving forward. He's so tired, so desperately tired, and the weight of the pact and the knowledge that Sorey is searching for him is almost too much, but he has to stay strong. The others are relying on him, now - they know what he's going to do.
He's going to kill Mikleo. He's going to bear the mantle of death once more. It's what he's made for. ]
I'm fine, Lailah, okay? Trust me, Ol' Zaveid has handled worse than this.
Whether this is a mistake Sorey can recover from, only time can tell.
[The loss of Mikleo will undoubtedly hit Sorey the hardest, especially the events that caused it in the first place. They have to do their best to make sure the grief and guilt doesn't consume him.]
I do trust you. [Lailah pauses and shakes her head.] Stay safe and keep me in the loop. I'll try to make it on that planet as soon as I can.
[ A part of Zaveid wonders if losing Mikleo will trigger all of this over again, if Sorey will wake up and learn that his best friend is dead and will be consumed by his own darkness once more... But with Lailah here maybe they'll be able to stop it. Maybe having her here would be the safety and the comfort they hadn't been able to give him before.
They had failed, but maybe Lailah would heal what they couldn't. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
voice.
[The idea of a stranger or someone from outside of their group being the one to kill Mikleo seems wrong. At least Zaveid is in a position to be able to do that.]
I'm sorry that this is the second time you have to do this. I'll be sure to sever the Shepherd's pact before you face them again. That way, you'll be safe from Sorey trying to use the armatus.
[Until then, they can use it to monitor them and track them down for as long as they're able.]
voice.
I'll do my best to make sure no one else has to get involved. Don't you worry about me.
[ He does pause, though. Dezel already broke his pact and Zaveid is clinging on, feeling the malevolence and the darkness each time he breathes. If it's gone will he be able to survive going up to the two of them?
It doesn't matter if he dies, he supposes. As long as he can save them. That's his resolve. ]
I'll make sure to let you know. Try not to think about it.
voice.
Come back safe and I'll stop.
[Maybe. Then, she confesses:]
I want to help you more. Sorey and Mikleo are my responsibility, and it...doesn't feel right to ask this of you.
["Please, forgive my weakness," goes unsaid.]
voice.
As if I was gonna do anything else.
[ She's not hurting the situation, not really, but Zaveid feels something tight in his throat. ]
Hey. They became my responsibility when I entered the Pact. They're not just your kids to take care of, alright? It can't all go on your shoulders, so stop it.
voice.
I'm their Prime Lord. I must take responsibility regardless. And...Camlann.... [Michael is her fault, but Lailah can't say anything about it.] You can't bear everything on your shoulders, either, Zaveid. We've both had to, you most of all, but this time we should both share it.
voice.
[ It's the same for Seraphim, too. Mistakes happen. He thinks of Eizen, of Dezel, of himself, thinks back upon thousands of years of living and history, thinks of his own failures and his own mistakes... The problem is that he wasn't a Shepherd. He was never burdened with such heavy responsibility. He could make his mistakes and not suffer for them - no more than anyone else, at least.
They just have to keep moving forward. He's so tired, so desperately tired, and the weight of the pact and the knowledge that Sorey is searching for him is almost too much, but he has to stay strong. The others are relying on him, now - they know what he's going to do.
He's going to kill Mikleo. He's going to bear the mantle of death once more. It's what he's made for. ]
I'm fine, Lailah, okay? Trust me, Ol' Zaveid has handled worse than this.
voice.
[The loss of Mikleo will undoubtedly hit Sorey the hardest, especially the events that caused it in the first place. They have to do their best to make sure the grief and guilt doesn't consume him.]
I do trust you. [Lailah pauses and shakes her head.] Stay safe and keep me in the loop. I'll try to make it on that planet as soon as I can.
voice.
They had failed, but maybe Lailah would heal what they couldn't. ]
Sure. Let me know when you're free to move.
voice.
I will. I'll see you then.