Don't Worry, Be Happy??

[firstbump]

♥ Who: Ardbert, Gaius, Emet-Selch, Era, Estinien, and potentially others (so, mostly closed except CR?)
♥ Where: Their two houses
♥ When: A span of time after the untempering plot from last week. Various scenes.
♥ What: Dealing with the aftermath
♥ Rating: PG-13 because I'm sure someone will have a filthy mouth.

The days after they succeed feel strange, like a moment stuck in time. But they succeeded, and there are days after. It's a start.

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[astralera]

It wasn't her fault she wasn't there, but that doesn't lessen the pain she feels, nor the guilt that she couldn't have spared him that suffering. She exhales, letting out a weary sigh that is soul-deep.

"I've done barely a thing in this world," Era tells him, disagreeing. "I'm... selfish."

[firstbump]

"You have done things for this world. And for me. And for everyone around you." Ardbert forces his smile to stay by feeling his love for her. "It's not the epic adventures you're used to, I know. ... and after everything you've done, you deserve to be a little selfish."

[astralera]

"All I've done is hurt people." She finds herself sniffing and her eyes blurring with tears, and she would feel far more mortified by this if she had the energy to care. "I don't deserve it, Ardbert."

[firstbump]

Gentle worry washes over Ardbert's face. Just holding her hand isn't enough anymore. He squeezes her hand tightly before letting it go and sitting up to move Hythlo backwards. It's a good thing the amaro sleeps like the dead, not even noticing as he's gently dragged and made comfortable again.

"You do, Era. ... come, let me hold you." Then he climbs gently over the youngling and moves over to his wife, putting his arm around her upper back as he settles his head on her pillow.

[astralera]

Even knowing what a heavy sleeper Hythlo is, Era still frets that he might wake. It isn't until a few very long moments of stillness and silence that she finally relaxes into his touch...though a tenseness Ardbert would be all too familiar with lingers in the muscles around her healed stab wound.

"I don't deserve it," Era repeats, tired and defeated.

[firstbump]

Not wanting to entirely invalidate her feelings, Ardbert responds by first kissing the scales on her nose to give himself time to think, and all he can come up with is a very simple question. "Why?"

He wants to refute everything she says, gentle and loving, like he always does, whilst listening to her. But that hasn't worked so far. He needs to try something else. Gods, it's hard....

[astralera]

"Because," she whispers, voice strangled with emotion. "I didn't want to come back."

[firstbump]

Ardbert knows she's in physical pain, which is why he came to her rather than moving her to him. But he had no idea how deep her emotional pain was. Eyes wide, mouth open without sound.

She still came back, but not on her own; Hades had saved her.

Overcome with emotions himself, Ardbert closes his eyes and presses his forehead to Era's, moving his hand to cradle the back of her head. "Oh, Era...."

[astralera]

"After He was gone—" Era chokes on a tiny sob she tries to hold back, voice breaking. "We didn't want to leave him again."

[firstbump]

Hem and Era.

Ardbert's voice breaks, too. "H-He didn't want you to leave him again, either. He wanted you here, with us, as do I...."

[astralera]

Them and Hemera.

"I can't...remember...what happened? Just... feelings..." She shares. "We were so...angry at Him...for being there as if He had a rightful claim. For hurting him."

Even now Era bristles angrily at the recollection.

"He was Azem's first. Mine and yours and hers. Ours... It was like being whole again. Home again... Why would we want to leave?"

[firstbump]

We. He was there, too. Ardbert swallows.

"Ours. We couldn't just leave him..." He whispers. "The last thing I remember was feeling like I was coming home. I can't imagine how it felt for you. For all of us."

[astralera]

It was intimate, she thinks. More intimate than anything she could have ever imagined, and she did that to him without his consent...

She shudders, sniffing back more tears.

[firstbump]

Ardbert strokes his hand slowly down her back, not saying a word. She needs time to think. They both do.