Arrow Lake pronuntio

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reyson's departure would affect mereo. standing down for this reason would facilitate an easier choice for the legatus now to make. he stood upon the precipice of leadership in mereo and once he had achieved that, he would be bound to the canyon of his own accord. germanicus' only involvement in this was to receive a report.

but there was no reason to make such a commitment if his heart was elsewhere. lady meadow was scathing, and germanicus again felt as though he had missed some greater part of their communication. or if she had expected him to be as laid-bare in another time as he had been in that hour, torn to grief and reaching for comfort. this countenance now was how he proceeded in his day-to-day.

he should not have sought it from anyone, least of all outside mereo. and yet she had filled him with such light in those moments, and offered more, and he had not taken it out of some sense of unfairness both to her and to ruenna. the imperator was glad then that they had not used one another as vessels for embittered emotions. they could barely speak to each other in the light of today. 

germanicus watched the beautiful play of muscles beneath the wavering fur as the epochian turned in indignation away and walked along the lake away from him. the eagle did not follow, he only watched her with furrowed brow as the winds seem to buoy her off. the eagle could not fathom her irritation, least of all on reyson's behalf. he would not seek to insist that the man stay in mereo beneath duress of responsibility.

and so it fell to the woman's own offense, that the imperator had not put himself forward a suitor. he did not want to think in such reductive terms. germanicus assigned to himself a good amount of the blame. perhaps she had felt that their interludes had been misrepresented by himself. 

this confusing array was what he felt must amount to romantic thought. and it underscored his own adherence to direct and passionless agreements. lady meadow's heart would have been broken to know he still loved ruenna, had it been her in his arms and not fennec.

and it was to the principales the imperator would return, to the impartial pragmatism of their marriage which would not befuddle and frustrate him with his inability to speak sweet words, let alone ones that might convey to meadow the deep intrigue toward her he still held glistening in his spirit. the sensation now banked down inside germanicus, ready to be stirred should they have another unlikely meeting.

his own steps moved his tall frame on an opposite path to mereo.