Sun Mote Copse at the end of the day

hoping for an @Weejay

Following Maia's departure and then their departure to the Glade, Eljay had felt terrible. He wished that he -- they -- could've gone with Maia, but he was sure that Maia didn't want that. She had made that abundantly clear, after all, by saying how much he was needed here and how he didn't have to come with. He often thought of that moment, and wondered if he could've forced himself upon them, and if they would've eventually grow to be pleased by his company rather than hate that he'd come along, realising how much they were dragged down by him. He was afraid of the answer, and that was why he had stayed.

That, and his daughter. He didn't want to leave her here, he didn't want to lose her like he had Elfie. If he let go of her for one moment, she too would disappear. And he wouldn't be able to visit her at all, so he'd always have to wait for her to visit him, even after they'd settled. He didn't want to be so dependent on everyone else.

The return to the Copse was nice, even though it was weird to be here again. The place where he had gone -- on a whim, that time -- with Wiffle, who'd made it very clear how welcome he was to join. The place where he had found a second Caldera, after thinking that no place could ever feel that way. This was Weejay's Caldera, and even if she had wanted to come with him, then he wouldn't have wanted to force her to leave it behind.

Not all water had left the garden yet. Eljay was found near it as he looked upon it, feeling nostalgic. The sun was shining, which was unimaginably great after the heavy rainfalls they had experienced during the last weeks. Most of the plants in Weejay's garden seemed to have died from the heavy rainflow, but some of them were still alive; perhaps they preferred the rain, he mused to himself. He realised he had never got to tell Weejay why he didn't go with Maia -- that it was clear she didn't want him there and that he didn't want to miss his baby girl -- but he supposed it didn't matter very much now.