little snippet before Xhaak's IC departure for the desert (PoF is wonderful btw aaaaa)

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“So how’d it go with Blittz?” Shade tilted her head slightly as she broke the silence, blinking down at Xhaak as he sat in front of her, his hands folded in his lap and his head held low, not meeting her gaze.

“..Eh. I fucked it up.” He finally sighed, shrugging as he lifted his head to look at her finally, his wide red eyes just a little glassy and his ears dipped back. As she regarded him though he managed to crack a faint smile, the expression crooked thanks to the scarring that still marred one side of his mouth. “Same story as always. It’s okay. It’s better this way.”

“I worry about you, you know.” She snorted, lowering herself a bit to level her head with his. For as small a charr as she was, and as tall an asura as he, there was still a significant gap between their sizes. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. It’s just a little hard to think about, I guess. I haven’t been on my own in a long time.” He rubbed his forehead briefly, averting his gaze before he let out a heavy breath and leaned forward to let his brow rest against hers, his hands coming up to scratch softly through the tufty fur along her jaw. “…You sure you don’t wanna just run away with me after all?” He smirked.

She chuckled quietly, snuffling against his face. “With all that’s going on, I’m awfully tempted. But you know I have to take care of things here before I can think of going anywhere.”

“Yeah, I know.” He mumbled, and for several long moments neither spoke, simply resting there. It wasn’t forever, they both reminded themselves. Xhaak’s determination to take on such a journey to the far-off desert did not mean they would not see each other again. For sure, they had been through far worse trials that had separated them under far worse circumstances. So why did this feel different? So final? Perhaps it was because they were the last true constant in each others’ lives, and the prospect of being SO distant was daunting for them both.

“I’ll write. I’m sure they have messenger birds down there.” Xhaak finally spoke, clearing his throat. “And maybe once everything settles down here, you can come see it too.”

“Just don’t get yourself into trouble.” Shade grunted in response, sitting up again as he released her and stepped back to retrieve his pack of supplies. “At least not til I’m free to come bust you out of it.” She flashed him a toothy grin, and it seemed to lift his spirits. He nodded, smiling back at her as he paused in the doorway. His expression faltered just for a moment, and she heard the slight catch in his breath as though he were going to say more, but then he simply waved and turned away, and then he was gone, the door shutting after him.

Shade huffed, pulling her knees up and draping her arms across them, her long tail coiling around herself. He was gone. And in a way she was glad, because it meant he would be safe while she dealt with her own personal torments of late. But at the same time, it was a terribly lonely feeling, and it made a hard pit of something form unpleasantly in her gut. But it was done now. There were other things to deal with. Xhaak would wait for her.