Dragoncrest Cliffs Till my heartbeat stops

val had not forgotten the coldness that glittered in rosalyn's eye. it reminded him of a remote island, inaccessible and unknowable. it had terrified him in a way deeper than the bear.

he'd kept close to @Indra III; he'd hoped to introduce her to those her age here, but even those were strangers to him. while sapphique was his home, he felt like a pretender. so much had changed since he left.

but that was the way of the world, wasn't it? it moved on, with or without his consent. deep in thought, val did not realize he had come close to rosalyn until he was nearly upon her. unwilling to withstand the crucible that was his heartbreak, val's eyes averted to the ground.