Moonspear change of tides

She'd forgotten how sweet his smile was - it reminded her of Lyra's, or sometimes of her father's, but it belonged wholly to Nikai. And ruined leg or not, it was nice to be looked at this way. There was no shared sorrow between them, except that Alya looked at him now and commiserated over the loss of loved ones. But that was a private thing, not something they had gone through together.

There were no ghosts in his green eyes.

"I missed you, too," Alya lied. She had not really thought of him much, but there had been other things to worry about, lately. And besides, when she had thought of him, it had been with a certain sense of longing. Not, perhaps, for Nikai himself, but for the careless age in which she had met him. And it was good to see him. Even if she could listen only half-heartedly to his words. He was leaving, of course. Everyone left. She was invited, but could she really...?

It was one word that sealed it for her. Goodbye. She was sick of goodbye.

"Yes," she said abruptly, her face grave. "Yes - I want to go with you."