Ghost Lion Crag the night so black that the darkness hums

Arcturus would get his wish, and perhaps a bit more.

Dirge, on the other hand, was a little disappointed that he would not get to learn just who the stranger with Yami was. Perhaps it were better that way that they did leave—it would let him have his chance with his brother-in-law that he had sought. He watched them as they took their leave, his gaze not shifting until he was certain that they had retreated fully from sight and earshot alike.

Which left him to let it linger once more on Arcturus and the wounds that littered him. It gave him the opportunity to let his features soften and echo concern where he could not immediately find words; his ears fanned back gently and in spite of the urge to better look him over, he stayed where he was. He wouldn’t risk running him off, but it was a finer line to walk than it had been with their previous company.

The fact that he was certainly on edge, however, made the distinction clear.

“He certainly did a number to you,” he murmured. “But I don’t think we’ll have to worry about any others for now. Hydra wanted me to bring Lyra to find you and tend to you, but I didn’t listen.” A pause—that didn’t sound reassuring at all but in fact quite the opposite. ‌Tend to him, right, perfect thing to say to someone who was very wary of his remaining company.


He tried to clarify: “But I didn’t think Revui had done all that to you, either.”