wish i had a river i could skate away on

Theory's place against her was both comforting and terrifying at the same time - she was deeply unused to physical contact, and she wasn't quite what to make of it. Despite her own complicated feelings on the matter, it felt like she was glued to the spot.. like pulling away might somehow sever whatever stranger connection they shared, and she was terrified of ruining the moment even a minute too soon. She was more starved for contact than she cared to admit, and already she could feel the aching emptiness threatening to return and swallow her whole. It wasn't even that she felt a lack of companionship back home, with the absence of her family - she also felt a terrifying, utter lack of purpose that somehow felt even more isolating.

"I hope you're wrong," Thalia responded, her voice sounding strangely hollow even to herself. Her God was a vengeful one who had no issue coming down hard - as the whole volcano thing had illustrated - on those he felt had done Him wrong. Like Theory, she hadn't noticed anything particularly unusual that might help predict something else of that scale happening, but the uncertainty was overwhelming. If they didn't find a good direction, the right direction, disaster somehow seemed inevitable. Who knew how far in the future such a thing might be...

It was only when Theory responded to her comment that she realized what she'd said at all. The quip almost made her smile, but the expression seemed to stop at her eyes as she twisted to eye Theory slightly. Their closeness hadn't gotten unnoticed for even a second, but looking her in the eye made it suddenly seem even more intimate. "I'll have to thank the volcano for that one," she retorted lightly, certain that the ash-covered plains would be inhabited again soon, once things went back to normal. This wasn't precisely what she meant, though she didn't know how to explain herself - or was Theory simply joking? The thought seemed suddenly stifling to her, blocking out most of her other thoughts. It didn't surprise her that Theory might not understand her family's beliefs, but to hear them commented on so casually was jarring.

It was lost on Thalia whether she was insulting her or merely being conversational when she reminded her that her family were mortals. She knew - she hadn't been about to point that out to Theory, though. "I appreciate that. I might take you up on that offer, when I need to escape again," she admitted with a sigh. Mortals or not - she could visit, at least to see Theory.. right? Though who knew how soon. She knew she needed to focus her attentions on things back home, on the Empire, as they figured things out. "Promise I won't try to fight you again there," Thalia offered, trying to force a smile, though the expression felt contrived.