She had been aware that she was being tailed for a while and a smile warms Mazikeen’s expression when Malik finally calls out. When she turns to face him in the snow, she does her best not to let it falter. Looking at him becomes a little easier every day though it is still not easy. Although he seems to be no worse off for being raised by a darker version of herself and The Curse, she still mourns for what might have been and all the missed chances at getting to know him as he grew. All the bits she had learned and witness had been brushed off at the time but now she treasures those memories.
And the absence of Sickle weighs even more heavily on her when she is with him, all the worst because he does not know there is a twin to miss. The tangled mess of their lives may take years to sort out, if they ever manage it at all.
But you don’t have to do it alone, Mazikeen tells herself. She repeats this in her mind often, several times in a day. Whenever her thoughts turn treacherous and she wonders if it is better for her to run and leave them all behind. It takes little to send these impulses away - a smile, a gentle touch. Reminders that she does not enjoy being on her own, that she is glad that they decided to stay.
The bright expression in Malik’s eyes as he approaches gives her no time to brood. He announces that he’s been to the Mountain and her bright eyes widen in surprise. The interest she speaks with is not false “Oh yeah? How did it go?” He could still shift, which was something. So he was already off to a better start than she had been for her quest.
@Malik