Redhawk Caldera They'll see the smoke from our tires burning out

no rush, just wanted to get this in the timeline <3 we can also resolve behind the scenes if you prefer!

It was time. There was no use delaying it any longer, and the more she waited, the the higher the chance was something would stop her from going. The children were all here and healthy, summer was stretching before them with beautiful weather, and Bridget had never felt more on the outside.

It wasn’t a terrible feeling, but it was a lonely one. It wasn’t the kind of sensation that seemed capable of fading and at this point, she knew she had no choice. She spent more time looking across the borders than she did spending time with those in them. She couldn’t stay here.

With quiet resolve, and a heavy acceptance, Bridget sought out @Teya in the hazy warmth of the afternoon. She wouldn’t leave without at least saying goodbye.

<3

brecheliant grew in blackthorns and teya had settled further into the caldera each day.
her eyes did not look so often toward the horizon, and bronco's love fed the parched parts of her she had allowed to grow neglected in her guilt.
the afternoon was muzzy. teya had been soaking her paws along the lake, and turned a gentle look on the cardinal as bridget approached. "hi."

Bridget smiled back, though there was an unusual trepidation to her. Normally a conversation like this would be easy; all she had to do was tell the truth. But for some reason, with Teya, nothing seemed that simple anymore. Maybe when she found a life of her own that would change.

Hey. She paused, then let out a breath. Fuck it, might as well just be out with it. I’ve been thinking, and I think it’s time I chased happiness of my own. Brecheliant is great, but I just don’t see myself finding it here.

She could be aunt to a dozen children, pack healer and occasional therapist, but none of that would make her forget the chances she had missed. And the life she was missing out on now, letting herself slip into the background of their lives. Bridget looked at Teya, hoping to find understanding, but unsure what to expect.

that she had feared this made it both harder and easier. harder, for it became truth in this moment; easier, for teya had rolled this over and over in her mind so long that she had truly believed one day she would lose bridget.
but she felt the air punched out of her all the same — a lump in her throat. she nodded, and the sheen of unshed tears was in her eyes.
"i want this for you, bridget. to be happy." to exist in a world where all these things between them no longer held her.
her smile, though trembling, was true; she opened her arms for an embrace on a hopeful exhale.

It was hard for her to see the pain there and know that she was the cause of it, but she knew long-term that this had to be better for both of them. She couldn’t allow herself to feel locked here by a friendship she supported for all of the wrong reasons. Both of them deserved more than the kind of love that spaced them; not drawing them together as it should.

Bridget came forward, sitting back on her hips so that she could draw an embrace without toppling over.

I don’t know where I’ll go yet, but I’ll check in soon. She added, her voice tighter with emotion as the reality of it set in. She was sorry it was a step she needed to take, but it wasn’t something she felt the need to apologize for; the sorry part was the situation they were placed in that neither could help.

sorana. bridget.
now bridget.
as long as the cardinal wished to hold and be held, teya would remain still, a communion of spirit beneath the sunshine day. 
and she was glad, glad that bridget did not apologize for this, and ever had. once they had been fae, another time lovers — now they must be something that existed without the other, and teya sensed she was less ready for this than the woman she embraced.
"chase happiness," teya repeated, a statement that encouraged.

Bridget lingered in it and allowed the emotion to overcome her, just for a moment. One more bittersweet, heart-wrenching reflection on what could have been if everything was different. But nothing was.

I’m glad you found yours. You deserve to keep it. Make sure you remember that. She responded after a moment, once the emotion settled some. Bridget knew Teya well enough by now to know that at times she would forget what she deserved; if Bridget couldn’t be here to ensure she got it, then she would need to keep hold of it herself. With Bronco here beside her maybe there was no need to worry, but that wouldn’t stop her from doing it regardless.

oh, deserving! bridget believed it of her. teya believed it of the cardinal. only one of them felt deserving, and the raven did not think it was her.
she refused to embroil her mind in this again.
embracing bridget once more, she stepped back and nodded firmly. "you come visit sometime?" teya asked, wanting to see where life took her companion, but understanding if this goodbye would be final.