' it pains me to leave you behind. ' ; )
❝ & it pains me to send you away, ❞ porcelain features set in a frown, brow knit in quiet sadness. it pains her to issue such orders. days without him are far & few between for years ( & many to come, she dreams ); such a drastic change is one she does not take lightly, & she knows her heart will ache for him in his absence. the empress places a hand to his cheek, thumb grazing gently over his skin, & she stretches onto her toes to kiss his lips. her other hand runs down his arm & takes a hold of his.
JESSAMINE ALLOWS THE silent that follows to fester. in the quiet, she hides her worries. a bold move it is, one made of desperation, to send her protector away. her voice of reason, a resonate light to cut through shadows – in times of doubt, it is he she turns to. months without will be a difficult task, but she knows with such a delicate matter ( one on which lives could depend ) there is no one she trusts more to find success. the needs of her people outweigh her own; she is not so selfish. hands withdraw, folding at her waist. she continues with a whisper, soft & akin to a lover, rather than empress, ❝ but there’s no one else, you know that.
❝ come back to me soon, corvo. ❞