Northstar Vale at night, we name every star

Liffey felt her heart crack in the instant he told her to go. Of course, the following words patched it right back up, but in that moment, it felt like her world was crumbling. She breathed deeply to move past it, but the memory of that would stay with her for repeated inspection at a later time. She looked at him, uncertain of whether or not she should accept his offer. The Vale didn't need her - she knew this and was perfectly content with it - but she knew that it needed Rannoch. How could she be so selfish as to take him away?

"I don't want to go alone," she replied, quickly and unabashedly admitting to herself that it was actually quite simple to be so selfish as to take him away. Liffey couldn't help herself - While Rannoch would not know how desperate her need for him was, she was quite aware that she wouldn't be able to make the trip without him. As determined as she was in that moment, it would fail the moment she saw those rounded cliffs upon the horizon.