not looking for a dowry, i promise

Theory's shift in mood didn't go unnoticed, but her cousin took nearly all of her attention as they stepped away and out of earshot.  Her voice was low when she finally spoke, though there was a quiver in her tone that spoke of her unease. "Forgive me, cousin. I've spent a long while with Abaven, getting to know Theory and learning her weaknesses. She's even prayed with me, you know. She searches for meaning in a world that she seems to often feel lost in. I know she is not Abraxas, but I was…" Her voice faltered as she searched for the words. "I think I've left quite the impression on her. She respects my beliefs and feels she knows me well. She trusts me deeply. But I think I've been distracted by… the pleasures of the flesh," Thalia admitted carefully. Theory would never mean more to her than her God, than the Abraxas, nor than her family - she couldn't, no matter how she felt. Her devotion was blind even if she had faltered. She could fix this, somehow, she was sure of it. Thalia felt her heart clenching painfully in her chest as she thought of leaving and what she'd be leaving behind. Love- at least a form of it, a thing she'd never known before Theory. Briefly she stole a gaze to Abaven's alpha but it quickly returned to Eligos, as attentive as ever, as her heart shattered into a million pieces. Her stony gaze hid the anguish though, her mind working overtime to fix what she'd done. "I think it is time I come home, cousin. I know we cannot ally with Abaven but I want to keep their trust. I told you I'd do that and I have, tenfold. I don't think I've ruined the work I've put in, but you might have to help mend my… overeagerness. Please. Frame it like I'm needed here more than there, she'll believe you." She'd have to let Theory down gently, but they'd become so intertwined that she didn't know how without making her feel suspicious of what she was doing. Perhaps leaning on her duty to family would be enough.