Wrong Address, Return to Sender

She had called him here, it had been her. Recluse knew, logically, that was the truth. But it still felt easier to shunt the blame off on him, it was always easiest to blame him. And if she was being fair, he really only deserved it most of the time, but probably not all of the time. But she did not care. Recluse was deep in her grief and it was easier to just assume he was hurting her again. He suggested sending him back, trying to get Kali instead and Recluse tried. She closed her eyes and searched, searched for any feeling, the same one she'd found when she'd called him here, or something new, something that would get him out of here, get him to go back.

Recluse wasn't really sure how long she tried, it couldn't have been more than half an hour but it felt like a whole life time before she finally opened her eyes, still wet and her cherry gaze slid towards him, a look of resignation on her face. She did not know how she'd even really gotten him here, it had been a fluke... A fluke that hadn't given her what she wanted. Recluse looked at her father, looked at him and felt her grief bubbling up. She had let herself feel hope, that had been the problem, she'd let herself hope which had opened her up to experience failure, feel pain, and it was rolling in on her slowly. She shook her head, she could do nothing and she was already resigned to the idea that neither could he, he was dead, he had less power than she did, and she did not have the power she needed to bring Kali here.

She started sobbing again, it was quiet at first, a few gasps and her shoulders hunching to protect her. This was the first time she'd really failed to hold back her grief and it was taking every opportunity to finally run free, she'd been suppressing herself for her children, for her pack, and she'd not let herself just grieve. Now she had no choice, she'd let it out and there was no stopping the flood. "I never even got to say goodbye." She sobbed, feeling herself fold in on herself, falling to the ground. "She-she was fine, we were just talking, she was fine, and then she was just dead! Right in front of me, she died right in my arms." She would never forget the feeling of Kali's body growing cold in her grasp. "I didn't even get to tell her I loved her." That one hurt so much. The thought that Kali might have died not knowing just how much Recluse loved her kept her up at night.

"No parent should have to bury their child." This was said softly, she'd curled in on herself, pressing her skull to the ground and she spoke it without caring if her father even heard it, she just needed to say it. Needed to finally get everything she'd been suppressing out.

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