There's no place that's home

Mojito screwed his eyes shut and grit his teeth against the pain, against the anger but he did not bother to push back the feeling of tears forming, though they did not fall yet. He would need to get it out, get it all out if he wanted to be able to think through what would come next rationally, and Mojito wasn't afraid of emotion, he knew others thought it weak but he knew those that did were cowards, the strength and courage it took to be vulnerable scared them.

Still his storm of emotions did leave him... Open. Hoa who had trailed behind him the whole way had taken up guard when he'd collapsed. The sheep was the first one to see the woman's approach, he watched carefully but made no move to stop or intercept her, he was ultimately ill equipped to properly comfort the wolf dog right now and had no reason to assume the woman posed him any threat.

Mojito for his part nearly jumped out of his skin when Asla's head gently pushed against his own, it was her voice that kept him from jumping up, snapping jaws to defend himself. He anchored himself on her voice for a moment, a simple question but one with a complex answer and one that, for the moment, he wasn't able to order his thoughts to give. He wanted to pull her in to him, wanted to tip his head up, scratched up muzzle be damned, and kiss her. But he didn't, he couldn't, not after what he'd said to her and the promise he'd made to himself. But he was going to soak in the familiar calm their contact gave him, at least a moment longer.

"There is- There is someone in the Armada that I wished to help." He began softly, it felt off to speak of Nao thus, when simply thinking of him made Mojito's chest tighten but he dared not to hope for more than that. "I approached their borders to see what, if anything, I could offer to help him but- Your brother... Azure, he decided that my doing so was treason and decided that returning to the fold was no longer my choice, he- he tried to force my return." It hurt to say it, to be forced to remember the way in an instant Mojito's place of comfort had turned hostile. "You know I left my family behind because of how they treated me... What I saw in his face then was the same thing I used to see in them. I can't go back, I can never live with that over me again... The only place I'd ever called home, the place I'd chosen for myself..." His voice hitched, breaking and he had to stop talking because though it wasn't a full on breakdown, no full body sobs to wrack his body, he knew the tears were coming now and frankly he just wanted to cry it out, let himself feel the whole thing, fuck he deserved that much at least.



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