These Children Learn From Cigarette Burns

Azzurra didn't move far from where Balthier left her the day before. She was still laying in their bed, curled up and turned away from the door. At some point she had cried herself to fitful sleep, but she only slept in small chunks, her worries and thoughts keeping her awake. Every time she woke up she kept expecting to find Balthier there beside her, but he never was. All through the night this cycle repeated itself and by morning she was more exhausted and worn than she had been when he left. She didn't even realize that she hadn't eaten and didn't acknowledge her gnawing stomach. Her mind was too far away, too concerned about what she might do if he just never returned. She couldn't fight, she could barely hunt for herself. She had been so solely dependent on Balthier for so long that without him that it felt like a real fear that she might not survive without him. She supposed she could just return to Abaven, but everyone there felt like a stranger to her. She had spent her entire life closed away in her den, quietly fighting an illness while her father and Balthier cared for her.

But somehow the heartbreak hurt more than the fear of the unknown or the worries about her own survival. She kept thinking about him standing over her, yelling down at her, the frustration and anger from him burned into her memories. She kept running through everything from that day in her head, picking it apart, trying to figure out what she had done wrong to make him treat her that way. She didn't think she was in the wrong for questioning him on what was bothering him, but could she put it out of her mind without it festering more and causing even more hurt just to keep him close? Just to ease this heart ache? She still wanted to know and understand where things had gone wrong or what had bothered him so deeply, but she was afraid of the consequences if she continued to push for answers.

The sound of the door opening made her flinch and she lifted her head a bit to glance over her shoulder, seeing Balthier slip into the den and stand with his back to her for a long moment. Her ears folded back and her heart felt like it was in her throat as she put her head back down and continued to stare at the wall in front of her. It wasn't until he came to her, saying her name and apologizing with his dark paw brushing her shoulder that she finally lifted her head to look at him. Her tired eyes, red from crying and lack of sleep, found his familiar gaze and emotion squeezed at her chest. Part of her wanted to just accept his apology and pretend everything was fine so that she could try to go back to the way things were, to hold on to a little bit of the good and happy she had in her life, but her heart just wouldn't let her. "But... Why?" she asked softly, her voice slightly hoarse. It was fine and good for him to apologize, but she wanted to know why he had done what he had, why he was acting this way seemingly out of the blue.

"Azzurra & Balthier"