Nova Peak Until I found a bruise on the other side

Of course she remembered when he had told her that; it had changed everything—her perception of him, the feeling of home she had once felt in Diaspora. Most importantly, it had changed who she was. On some level, his rejection had broken her, and she had formed again eventually but as someone slightly different. The fire that had once burned so strongly within her was smaller now, more contained; it only came out if heavily or repeatedly coaxed. And not all of this was the Eisen's fault—life had also constantly tried to extinguish her flame, and eventually it had all become too much to fight against. Now she just wanted peace and her family, and it wasn't often that she considered the loss of her former self much of a loss at all. 

So as his story unfolded before her, she felt no bitterness or satisfaction that he seemed to have paid for his selfish ways. She felt only that she wished things had gone differently for him. She had been in love with him once, and then hated him, but never would she wish that his relationships with his children were so strained. She knew the pain of raising pups; children were rarely understanding of their parent's mistakes. She offered a gentle touch of her nose to his shoulder. I'm sorry, Mahler, she said quietly. Maybe it can all be repaired with time, she offered. If one was willing to work for forgiveness, maybe it could eventually be rewarded. She wasn't sure that was the case for Wylla, but maybe his children would learn to let go of the past.