Get Your Feet Wet

Cináed had just gotten past Ignis and had him at his back when he spoke, causing Ciná's steps to slow with frustrated hesitation. The short greeting, if he could even call it that, grated on his nerves. When Ciná allowed himself to glance back at the similarly red man he saw that Ignis hadn't even stood and had his ruby gaze turned out toward the ocean. Of course he would do the bare minimum to acknowledge his existence. He didn't know what he had expected or hoped for, but he had this feeling like he shouldn't have even been surprised. "Not long enough," he muttered with a growl to his voice as he turned away from him again, gritting his teeth to keep himself from saying more as he continued to walk down the remainder of the bifrost toward Auster.

Maybe some small, deeply buried part of him had hoped that there would be some kind of catharsis, some kind of emotional reunion, some admission from Ignis of how wrong he had treated him, but that had been too much to hope for. He wasn't even entirely sure that he wanted anything that might interfere with the life he had built for himself. He didn't necessarily even crave a relationship with his father, at least not any more, but the longing he had as a pup had never really been satisfied. He gave a small shake of his head and sighed as he walked away, looking down at the ground in front of him.

"Cináed"