Moonspear change of tides

Nikai wasn't really sure what he expected here. He felt selfish for asking this of Alya, for asking her to leave her family and come... but he also thought maybe she, too, wanted to be selfish for a change and maybe she needed a nudge in the right direction, a reminder that leaving would not only be selfish but would help others -- him -- too. He had needed that nudge but it had never come, not until he had gotten wounded and had lost his sister. The rug had been pulled under from him and the realisation he may never travel again had hit him hard. That was the moment that he knew he needed to leave, that he needed to be selfish for once.

Now it was time to pay it forward. Help someone else make selfish decisions because they would break themselves if they did not. With bated breath he waited for her answer, and a smile broke across his face as she said, quite suddenly, yes. Nikai had not actually thought past this moment, as he had not actually wholly expected a 'yes', and he fell silent for a bit, though the smile on his face betrayed that he was happy with her decision.

"I'm glad," he said softly, and he drew close to nose her cheek softly. "When can you leave? I assume you want to say good-bye to your family. I... don't know how long I'll be gone, out there, when to return. But if you want to break off and return earlier, you always can." He would not stop her, for that was what this journey was all about: being free of burden and chains, being free of the drive to be there incessantly for others. It was all about Nikai doing Nikai for a change, and Alya doing Alya -- even if that meant eventually splitting up. This was for them, and no one could dictate what each of them would do.