#earthrunes

"It's like... like this is all I have left in the world. Like he's won, anyways."

"That must be... very hard."

She rubs at her face. "Sorry."

"For what?"

"I should go."

His expression closes off and he nods. "If you like."

She shrinks further.

August looks away, unhappily.

"...sorry..."

He sighs, but doesn't ask again.

Zara is quiet. Miserable.

Frowning, he stares at the wooden grain of the table.

Bronte searches for a book that can fix this

"I... guess that's it?"

"I... I guess...." He stops. "No. No, that's not it."

He looks up at her with just a bit of heat in his steel-grey eyes. "No, that's not all. Zara, you're miserable. Do something about it. Please."

"You know you have support. You want to deal with Paler, then let someone know and you'll have help. Lots of it. Doesn't have to be me. But do something about it, because the people that care about you are hurting when you hurt."

"I'm not canny or clever, I get it. I think you made a mistake hiding the Edge, but that's over now."

"And stop apologizing for things that aren't your fault. It sounds insincere, eventually."

He holds her gaze.

Hard to do that, dark eyes downcast.

Then he just watches her, boldly.

Silent, small... a withdrawn thing of damp ashes...

"Zara, do you want to talk this out, or give up for now?" He offers without judgement.

A soft sound, distraught. Not an answer.

He waits beside the cold cup of tea.

"Everything's broken."

"I thought... I thought maybe it wasn't, but everything's broken."

"What's broken can be mended."

"I don't know how."

A sigh. "Well. All that ever worked for me was to feel regret, speak regret, then act to improve."

"I do regret hurting you. You are my dearest friend... "

"And apologies sound hollow, so I know not what else..."

"I just... I thought maybe you'd trust me to... well, nevermind. And yes, apologies can sound hollow, can feel hollow, without actions to show the truth of them, but actions take time. Give it time."

"I wish we had not gone. I wanted to... I so badly wished to get away from the farm..."

"I enjoyed it. It felt good. And Caspian... of course we had to go."

"But then, it didn't feel good anymore."

"I spoiled it."

"I felt like you didn't trust me. That hurt."

"But... but I don't understand. Of course I trust you."

"That's why I wanted you to come."

"You didn't want me anywhere near the Edge." He shrugs. "I thought you want me to stay behind when you went to hide it."

"You didn't trust me with or around it."

"Those sidhe, the masked ones, the pair from the court.... they all wanted it... the former, they had a Gwydion. They would know if you lied, so.. so it wouldn't be a lie if you said you hadn't seen it, aye?"

"And then you came with us to hide it. I know, you think that was a mistake, but it... nobody should hold it...."

August draws a pattern on the table. "I was careful around the Gwydion in Paris. But I understand what you're saying. I'm not good at lying."

Then he looks up at her. "I can't say I agree with that. That nobody should hold it." Then down, and a shrug.

"Doesn't matter if you are good at lying, with a Gwydion."

"I shouldn't have held it."

"It would have been so easy.... it would fix everything... *