Northstar Vale Entropy

It had been approximatly a week since he had been in the empire. he had been avoiding the dramageddon that was unfolding. honestly it was easier to keep the secrets he held while staying away. how long could he keep this up. 

 the truth was t e a r i n g him apart. 

 He had told Vespera he would bring her food and on and off again he had. he hadn't exasclty been mr. reliability. she understood. plus, her children were getting older and she was able to get out and about a bit more. something he was thankful for. vespera had made it clear from the beginning she didn't want someone that took care of her. he supposed it made her feel weak. for some reason it also made him sad. he wanted to take care of her and the children. 

 it was something he ran from. perhaps her estranged husband would return for her and his children soon. still, all of those feelings had been pressed from the mind. he had assumed the time would never come and he was all the more certain it never would. he was already conflicted about reiko. he missed yuudai. he mourned for hiromi. perhaps the feeling he had experienced was simply his soul trying to grasp something good. it was probably a lie. 

 he arrived outside of her den with a fish hanging from his mouth and set it down. his head poked inside of the den and he whispered her name softly, "vespera," 

 he had finally begun to put weight back on his body and his features were more evenly filled out. the time as an unofficial loner had also helped deepen his muscles and so he stood with more apparent sinew. that would likely disappear if he could be happy again. that would be a long time coming.