Coming to Terms

[Emilian Sota]

Emilian accepted her words, at least until the end. "If no one believes it, is it still the truth?" If they were the only two that believed it, thought he a good person, then what was the point? What was the point of changing if no one believed that you were a changed man? Emilian couldn't see anyone changing their mind about him.

[Adara Snow]

Adara's lips curved into a smile that warmed her eyes. "Of course," she assured him. "The truth is what it is, whether one soul believes it or a thousand." She paused, letting her words settle while she threaded one thought together with another. Her gaze left Emilian's, dropping to their hands clasped on the hospital sheets. "For whatever reason, be it some hidden kindness or...a bet," Adara began, the word sticking uncomfortably, "you have been kind to me, Emilian. You have been patient when it was obvious that you had no desire to do so." One corner of her lips rose as she looked back up at him. "I know who you have been. The world knows who you have been. If they choose to see only the past, then the greater loss is theirs." And such a short time ago he had slipped into that past, had fallen into old behaviors. Adara's neglecting to mention that fact hovered over her words, but she refused to speak them, relegating them through that very neglect into the past with forgiveness.

[Emilian Sota]

Emilian's eyebrows came together, making the line of his cut painfully obvious, he forced his face to relax. "You say these things, even though I've hurt you." It wasn't phrased as a question, wasn't spoken as a question, but the need for an answer was there all the same. His other hand moved, without conscious thought, as if to stroke her jaw, but the movement tore through his chest and hand, causing his eyes to close and a sharp breath to come into his lungs. He let it fall back down gently to the bed. "I don't understand you, Adara."

[Adara Snow]

Adara's chest constricted at Emilian's pain, and her eyes skated over him, as though she could take his pain with only her concern. But he had settled, and there was nothing to do but let her free hand sweep against his forehead, smoothing hair she had already smoothed. "How does one learn but with a patient hand?" she asked softly. "How can one grow if never given a chance? To err is human, Emilian. You hurt me," she admitted, the hurt obvious in her voice, magnified by watching his own pain. "You hurt me, but I care enough not to give up while you still wish to go on. You are my friend, my teacher, my lover. One chance is very little to ask."

[Emilian Sota]

Emilian hated the pain in her voice, wished he could make it all go away, but he knew that there was nothing he could do. "I won't hurt you again." His voice was firm and he looked steadily into her eyes. It was a promise, and one that he would try with every fiber of his being to keep. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, but he couldn't make himself form the words. His thumb moved over the back of her hand again.

[Adara Snow]

Adara searched Emilian's eyes, but there was no waver, no sign that he did not mean what he said. He was making a promise she had never directly asked him to make, only hoped that he would keep; he was promising to be faithful. Adara's eyes clouded with the threat of tears, and she leaned, bringing her lips to his in as passionate a kiss as she could summon, all the emotions she could not name threading through the motions. She felt as though her heart might burst with the force of those emotions.

[Emilian Sota]

Emilian returned her kiss, ignoring the pull of the healing skin on his face. The kiss begged forgiveness even while it was obvious she had already given it. He only broke the contact when it became too painful to breathe, the cut on his chest already painful and made worse by pulling for breath. He wasn't sure if he actually fully knew what he had just said he would do, but he didn't doubt it, didn't have a thought of taking it back. When his breathing was back under control he looked into her eyes, half a smile turning up one side of his mouth.

[Adara Snow]

"I'm sorry, Emilian," Adara breathed, opening her eyes to see the tension of pain etched on his face. But then he smiled, or tried to smile, she couldn't be sure, but her reaction was the same. Worry smoothed from her brow and she returned his smile, her free hand settling against his uninjured cheek, stroking lightly. "You must promise to heal," she said, as though it was in his power to simply will himself better. "I will miss you." The sudden stain of rose on her pale cheeks was enough to make the unspoken apparent. She would miss more than his patient instruction and teasing wit.

[Emilian Sota]

"I'll miss you, too." Emilian's eyes sparkled at the color in her cheeks. The feel of her hand against his skin was perfect, distracting him for just a moment from the pain. "'Come see me?" he asked, he didn't know how long he'd be in the hospital wing, but he didn't want to spend it alone with Firebrand. Seeing Adara, even for a short time, would give him hope that everything would be better.

[Adara Snow]

"Of course," Adara said, "every day." She paused, as though she had caught his thoughts, though in reality her mind was only searching out every last detail before she let him go. "Please try not to taunt him," she asked, her eyes rising to the curtain before returning to Emilian's. "If you give him no satisfaction, you give him no fuel." Her fingers swept down Emilian's cheek before drawing away as she stood. "Be brave, my Warrior," she said, lips curving, eyes gleaming. She bent to press one last kiss to Emilian's lips, then untangled her hand from his. "I will dream of you," she promised, if only to give him something to think about while she was absent.

[Emilian Sota]

Emilian let his fingers follow hers until her hand was out of reach. Did he even need to say that he would dream of her? His eyes trailed over her, memorizing every line of her body, as though he hadn't already. Being confined to the bed would take all the bravery he had, and not taunting Chase would be a battle in and of itself. "I'll be thinking of you," he said when his eyes met hers.

[Adara Snow]

Adara's eyes shone with unfeigned joy at his words. She looked at him, one last time, though the sight of so many and so terrible wounds was saddening. "Good-bye for now, Emilian." With that, Adara slipped through the curtains, leaving them closed around him, and headed for the comfort and solace of the Common Room.

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[Emilian Sota]

Emilian watched her leave, and then watched the crease in the curtain that she walked through, until even the faintest ripple had stopped. He understood now. He finally understood how Michael could be so different, he wondered briefly if Michael had fallen back or thought of doing so. But his last thoughts before exausted sleep claimed him were of Adara.