Sylvie gave him a short look, slightly worried about his state of mind. He might hurt himself if he decided to punch a tree. She found it hard to be angry at Lady Land - the goddess probably wouldn't have cared, anyway - and wanted nothing to do with that other, lunatic one. "Good, so I take it that resignation is accepted."by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
Sylvie pinched the bridge of her nose. "I can't help but wonder if there would have been any clarifying conversation if you had not prevented any, but anyway, just one more question. Did it work?"by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
Sylvie turned to the goddess - without being quite aware of it so she was standing between her and Sebastian, and nodded. "Why these games? Why did you tell Kord to treat him badly?"by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
Sylvie followed Land. When she finally got the answer she had asked for, she let out a huge sigh and relaxed a good deal. Being used as a tool wasn't a nice thought, and neither was Land's treatment of Sebastian, but Sylvie didn't want to know what it would have done to her mind if they had started manipulating her life as early as setting up her father's scheme. She repby Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
<em>Heedless</em>, Sylvie would have finished the sentence. Whether the implication of how well the goddess knew her was real or just in Sylvie's imagination, it chilled her. A question she had never dared think about billowed to the top of her mind. The one that mattered most immediately, if they were accepting his resignation, fought for attention, but was postponed. Questby Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
Sylvie was dusting off her knees after getting up. She gave Sebastian a look. He seemed to prefer handling that talk alone, so she turned to... the Old Lady? Close enough, Sylvie assumed. "Well, I'm here." She matched the ghostly woman's voice at least in volume.by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
Meanwhile Sylvie had put her right leg forward, foot on the ground, waiting for a sign if Sebastian wasnted to get up. She couldn't say she understood exactly what was going on, Sebastian's words drew a lopsided smile from her. Confused and angry and giddy, she watched for the reaction.by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
"Oh, what now?" Sylvie said under her breath. A hint of a snarl was underlying her voice. She half-turned towards them, wiped her eyes with her right hand, and hooked her left around Sebastian's belt without thinking.by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
The implication of 'until death' was very clear. "Can I promise that? Can you? Can you run away from your gods if they decide they prefer you theirs and alone?"by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
She leaned into him for a few moments, calming down again. Something weighted on Sylvie's mind, and she started out with the point she wanted to be really clear about. "I love you. I want you to be happy, and to be together with you, right along." She took a deep breath. The distinction was important. "Your gods disgust and scare me."by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
Having her own words returned to her, Sylvie couldn't help but laugh. Not very loudly, but after a moment it was clear enough what shook her were not sobs. Half-broken as each of them was, maybe they could mend if they leaned on each other.by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
Sylvie held him, hands high on his back, crying in sympathy, worry for him, and relief -- had she really had any doubt left that dissolved right then? Looking for something reassuring to say she pulled him closer yet, cheek to cheek, stubble be damned. With a little chuckle she whispered, "If we're both selfish, that makes it a fair trade. It's all right. It's all right.by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
Sylvie returned the kiss tentatively, listening. When Sebastian started crying, she pressed herself against him, her hands clasped in the small of his back, body contact being the clearest was to show she did not want to be divided from him she knew. Despite moisture rising to her eyes and being a bit too close for it, she tried looking into his eyes, if he did not look away. "Iby Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
"We're together?" she suggested softly. Sebastian's nervosity was contagious since it made her worry about hurting him.by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
"I still have that orb you gave me," Sylvie answered his question. His second remark made her chuckle. She set down her backpack, embraced him and said, smiling, "There might be one at the bottom of the valley, or just muck. We could look for a proper stream tomorrow."by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
"I'd like that, if you'd like to." As they followed the road, she traded him a few jokes and stories. They kept the conversation light. Despite what Sylvie had said earlier, for the moment they kept heading west, figuring that they might as well get out of the area affected by the unnatural weather, rather than walking through more muck than necessary. And indeed, tby Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
She smiled at him for a moment, eyes nearly closed. "Very nice, both of them." The street started climbing uphill. Sylvie saved her breath. The ground was firmer, more gravelly.by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
Partway into the song, Sylvie noticed that both of their steps were falling time with it. She let the melody fill her mind for now, leaving no place for worries. It wasn't complicated, repeating soon - it could go on forever. Despite the mud sucking on her boots, despite the sheer weirdness of the last few days, despite too many things unsaid, it helped her snatch a while of quiet conteby Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
She sighed, smiling. Voice warm and gentle, she said, "I don't find being in trouble <em>that</em> funny. But thanks for trying."by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
She put on a baffled expression. "Should I be, now? I thought we agreed there were things to talk about, not in public." There was a tiny wince. In hindsight Sylvie wasn't sure bringing that up again just that moment had been a good idea.by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
"Well, it's still rather muddy and public. Even if the first turns out unavoidable, the second should at least get less of a problem after nightfall."by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
"How so?" In part, she wanted to make sure they were in the same page here.by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
Sylvie lengthened her stride a bit but at the same time pulled back on his hand for him to not overdo the hurrying. At his "threat" she raised an eyebow. "You think?" After a nod and in slightly less impish tone she changed the topic, "So, am I collecting nicknames now, too?"by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
Sylvie leaned her forehead against his temple and said, with emphasis, "But not with people watching." She was grinning, even if they were making a spectacle of themselves already.by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
Sylvie, by contrast sounded impish. "Sebastian for private moments? I could live with that."by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
"Oh. You did ask me for a new name before, didn't you?" She gave him a look, wondering why he seemed nervous. "I rather like 'Sebastian', but if you want to start over with a new name, I guess Sammeh works, if you like it."by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
"Ah?" The thought hadn't crossed her mind before; it was simply a song she had heard frequently, and that fit the theme he had asked for. "Well, the bird wasn't pushed. Other than by its nature, I guess." She tried to guess what Sebastian was thinking, but just went with what came to her mind. "The last verse tends to have it start work on a nest."by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
"Ah, <em>sammeh</em>" - that words had cropped up more than once in the bit she'd sung - "is a white seabird that at least in the stories spends most of his life in the air. The song starts when a young one learns to fly, by plunging off a cliff, and then follows it as it rides the wind from island to island, never touching ground, even sleeping on its wing."by Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie
The sudden change in topic drew a surprised chuckle. "Travel song? Travel song, maybe..." She hummed a melody, quietly, sometimes breaking off and adjusting when the tone seemed too far off, trying to remember enough of the words to not stumble over them all the time. When she thought she had it, she sang in her own language. The melody in her head always evoked images of light reflectiby Anke - Sebastian and Sylvie