Shadows descended upon the ground, the impending weight of knowledge seemed to thicken the air. Blinking, exhaling slowly, a hand raised, shredded knuckles still raw. Steadying her thoughts, stilling her heartbeat. Seemed like she found them ineffective before putting use in the ax.
“It’s fine- “ deep breath in, and out. It was partially true, she’d not know until all was said and done. But if Dave had any sort of confidence in her, past or potential, she’d take the effort to recover what she could. “I’ll be fine.”
She was … strong in her previous days, surely this Crowe would find that strength again. Now to meet the one who had given back her name. She should thank him for keeping it all the while and yet, what sort of past had she held? Fear welled up in the pit of her stomach. Pushing herself to her feet, she stared hard behind the Hunter. She knew those eyes. They brimmed with such emotion and yet hesitance. This was not the Crowe he had last known.
“You know me.” possibly moreso to herself than addressing anyone. Crowe could sense it, call it a hunch, intuition. The way he absorbed her image in and was unable to process this reality. She was unexpected- in this form at least. No, instead, faltering of the words that choked behind his teeth, he took her hands gingerly as if she were an illusion. One brash motion and she’d dissipate into nothing.
But she was here, searching for memory of him, brain screaming that she too had known him well. Pressing desperately against the invisible barrier of nothing and he, threatening to spill over his composure. Crowe permitted his assistance with her cuts with a silent nod, fresh scars to add to the ancient ones on her palms. Wide and smooth, must have been burns of some kind.
They were familiar to him, these hands of hers. Thumb running across the smooth patch.
he hadn’t been this nervous the night he’d tossed caution to the wind - a little dutch courage and a deep breath had started their relationship. she could have landed a right hook to his jaw, but she hadn’t. and the twists his stomach had done that night were nothing compared to the backflips it was doing now.
“That girl, that’s not the Altius I remember. She would cut me down with a look, not quietly water plants. I get that you don’t want to hurt her pal, but if it’s killing you this bad you’ve got to say something Pelna.”
was petra wrong or right? damned if he knew. but dave had dragged him out into this for a reason. setting the small medi-kit down on the floor and tugged over a stump for himself to sit down on. pelna nodded his head, forcing a small smile was he took her hands in his. ‘ i know you, crowe. ’
her eyes were the same colour - a sea of hazel he could spend the whole day getting lost in, but they weren’t the same ... they were searching, darting around his face, glaring into his eyes, trying to pinpoint something. he took a breath, courage failing him as he twisted a bandage around one of her hands, ‘ we worked together. we were friends. ’
