Dragoncrest Cliffs grangou

Wing listened, her heart aching, her wound itching, her mind racing.

The way Mireille talked, it hurt to hear her so. It hurt to think that she had conjured these thoughts, convinced herself to cope, and had cried so deeply and for so long that the circles around her eyes were puffy with malabsorption. Wing had never known such grief. All she had lost had never been taken from her with such permanence.

The redgem leader asked after her then, and Wing found herself hesitating. I feel…

Bitter.

Angry.

Poisoned.

Sad.

Lost.

She could admit to none of those things, as true as they might be. I wish I could help you look for him, the beryl whispered. I feel useless right now. And I feel like I failed. I owe Sapphique, I owe you my life. I fear I did not do my part. She took a shuddering breath. But none of that matters to me. I cannot think of it. You lost so much, Mireille. I don’t feel worth your worry, not when there is… there is nothing I can even do to comfort you.