Dragoncrest Cliffs Cordelia

it was not the first time val silently cursed the power of the sea. he looked helpless on the face of sapphique’s children — children he knew with certainty by the shapes of their faces he’d fathered — and felt a gathering sickness.

he looked to suzu in surprise first, then to etienne, chacal, and mireille. reading the words unspoken in their expression.

chacal struggled to speak. val noted her stutter had returned with a pang. not even the news of suzu’s tryst with swordfish (or her wish to abscond elsewhere) contended with the troubling news that chacal’s lilting speech was suffering.

he did not begrudge suzu her autonomy — but he wished for them all that she would go to eresta where she would be gathered under the loving embrace of her sisters.

but even eresta touched the sea.

he was silent as he looked to them all — helpless as usual to make anything about this situation any better.