Thunder Dome deja vu

the storm raged louder, but still, it wasn’t enough to drown out his sobs or the sharp edges of his words. elowen stood firm, though her heart ached at the sight of him, crumpled and trembling. every syllable he rasped at her was a wound, not for the harshness, but for the pain that shaped it—pain so raw, it had turned into a weapon he wielded against himself.

she didn’t flinch, not when his voice cracked with anger, nor when his words lashed out like the lightning splitting the sky.

“no one deserves that, i think.” she said softly, but there was no mistaking the strength behind the words. The thunder crashed above them as if in protest, but she didn’t falter. “it's not pity, but i try not to judge people by the sins of their past.” she didn’t try to force her way into his pain; she simply refused to let him drown without someone standing by the shore.

“you’re hurting,” she continued, her tone dipping even softer, the kind of softness that didn’t press but still filled every space it touched. “that’s not something to be ashamed of.”