Don't go breaking my heart

Her expression softened a little and a slight smile pulled at her lips when he asked if she was angry with him. Artorias had thought the same thing and had been so sure that she would have been mad at him for what he had done to her father, but she couldn't find a reason to be angry with either of them. "No, I'm not angry with you... Just worried." At least she could be honest with him. The only thing she continued to feel when she looked at her father was worry and perhaps still just the smallest bit of fear, but seeing him like this and knowing she had Artorias to lean back on was helping that begin to fade. She listened as he talked about finding a bit of his own calm when he was teaching Artorias how to meditate and that helped to ease some of her worries too. She just needed him to be calm, find his center. As long as he could do that then she wouldn't have to worry about losing him too.

"I'm glad," she told him softly, her tail wagging gently behind her. She inched a bit closer, now well within reach of his long limbs. It felt as if she was testing the waters with herself and him. The last time she had cuddled into him it had ended with his fangs in her skin. It would have been easier to just keep avoiding him until the memory had faded into nothing, but there was no way to tell how long that would take. She missed him. She wasn't willing to separate herself from her father for ages just to keep herself from facing her own fear.

"Could I... Could I have a hug?" she asked as she peered up at him, deciding that was safer than just leaning into him herself. She had to believe that he wouldn't if it wasn't safe so she left it in his paws, no matter how much she wanted to just lean into his chest and force herself to break away from the things that were holding her back. She didn't want to keep thinking about that night, she just wanted to be present so she could help him stay at that center.

"Briar" | "Marigold"