the curse

Corvus often worried he didn't quite know how to help when others were feeling overly emotional - his preferred method of hoping was to hide away and deal with things on his own. And while he wanted to be there for Twig, to wipe away her pain, he was fearful he might only make things worse. He couldn't fully promise to find her nephews but he could promise to try, and he could promise he'd be here for her, for whatever she needed.

She explained herself, feeling so helpless that she didn’t even hide her emotions. Tears welled up and slid down her cheeks as she spoke. She felt completely at fault. Corvus didn’t hesitate to lean into her as he realized fully her state. Twig took his comfort and leaned heavily against his larger form. He tried to soothe her with his words as well, he was sure they would find them. Like he was looking through a door inside her heart he also mentioned how this wasn’t her fault. "I'm so sorry," he repeated himself, leaning into her more. The urge to lick away her tears was strong but feared the gesture might not be appropriate. "I know how it feels. I still blame myself for my sister leaving so long ago. I worry if I'd only done more, she might've stayed." Maybe it wasn't the same, but it certainly was similar at the same time. "It's been years but I still blame myself, so I know you won't stop feeling that way. But try to not let it completely take over."

Maybe he shouldn't have told her that, but he knew the pain would never completely fade, only dull until it was a barely-noticeable ache. One that would flare up sometimes and feel almost unbearable, while other times it merely felt like a distant memory. "Abaven will always persevere. That's what we do. No matter what." No natural disaster, no terrible death, nothing could topple Abaven. He knew that more than anything in his life, and hoped she knew it too. Slowly he moved closer, pressing his cheek to her own and letting it rest there for a long moment as he closed his eyes.