Too quickly she allows herself to be distracted by Kagerus' laughter, easily slipping into the rich warmth she had been starved of. Solace rests her head against the strength of the warrior's dark shoulder, drinking in the nuances of her. The distinct notes of her scent, the quiet cadence of her heart, and all else fades away.
For once, for them, all is right with the world.
"Always," she confirms. Pale lips trail the line where the porcelain and auburn hairs overlap, sleepily fascinated by how perfectly they fit together. Not bothered by the world rushing by around them, Solace is content to linger in this moment until dawn.
But Kaguers is pulling away, and she lifts her head to look past the gruesome wound and into those nutmeg eyes. They consider her fondly, and the depth of the love she find's there stills her heart her for the briefest of moments. Castile's face rushes before her, but she doesn't allow his image to linger, focusing again on her Queen. On her eternity.
"Forever," she repeats, with aching sincerity.
The moment lasts for a breath, maybe two, before Solace shakes her head and a light laugh stirs in the darkness between them. "I never wished for it, not before you. If I didn't have you I wouldn't want it..."
"Thank you," she finally says, pressing a kiss into the corner of her mate's mouth. But the touch doesn't stay tender for long, and her teeth grasp the delicate skin lightly before she turns away, taking several steps away from the grotto with a roll of her golden shoulders.
"I think this means I owe you," she calls back, and her blue eyes sparkle in a way that Kagerus would only know the meaning of.
we are the ever-living ghost of what once was
