Dragoncrest Cliffs i loved you, atthis, long ago

erzulie was silent. she had thought the man would care to ask her of her absence, or why. she watched njord with a quiet expression in her two-toned eyes.
"all i been t'inkin' on is blame," the ruby said at last. "misplaced blame, i know now. all of us knew de sea kept you from comin' back. you would not have been stayin' away from your children an' meerkat."
she inhaled and faced away toward the glimpses of sea through the stand of oceanpine. "i stayed away because it be so unfair of me to blame you, njord. an' yet i — struggled wit not. better den, to keep a distance an' not say anyt'ing hurtful."
the ocean rippled in cold white caps. she wanted suddenly to be among them, to have the slap of the icy surf keep her tethered in the present rather than the past. "i do not have dat blame anymore. i see how happy meerkat is, all de sunshine returnin' to her. be takin' too much energy to stay so irritated at someone i do be carin' about." 
erzulie looked at njord finally, her gaze warmer than before. and now she was silent.