in between the light and the dark

“Thank you” she said to Eris, who promised them dinner. She trusted that the girl was a decent hunter, despite the issues with her eyes. Riva on the other hand, with a perfectly good set of eyes, was barely parsable at the hunt. The fact that Eris was leaving her and her brother by themselves was something else entirely, and she shifted her weight gently from side to side, a nervous sort of twitch as she didn’t look at him.

He said her name, and her ears twitched, folding towards him so he would know she was listening, though she didn’t loom up. She wasn’t sure she could right at that moment. When he began to apologise, to actually use the words 'I'm sorry’ and to sound regretful?

She looked up slowly, seeking to meet the darker orbs of his eyes. It was clear his apology was for Eris’s sake, but it was such a bold move in the right direction, that for a moment Riva lost her voice. She parted her lips, trying to find the right words to say, before she knew what was in her heart, had been from the beginning. “I forgive you, Oxide” she said softly. “You got something I didn’t, to be raised by mother, and I now know that was more curse than blessing. I know that she took from you more than she gave. I got something you didn’t as well, I got to be free from her right from the start. Don’t be jealous of it, my mentor was not a mother, and she did not love me, either.” she said softly, eyes sliding from his and to the ground again, a little ashamed to speak of her upbringing. She hadn’t told it to anyone before. They didn’t know the truth. “I think she knew who mother was, and wanted me to pay for it, she wanted me to give my life, to redeem who Nysa is to the world.” she was saying to much, it wasn’t necessary to his apology and her forgiveness. She needed to shut up before she ruined the moment. “Anyway I.. I forgive you Oxide, it’s okay, I understand.” she said softly.