"Hope takes breath when kindred tempers cast off qualms and hubris."
As dynamic as two conjoined streams, driving toward the distant sea, minds in concord free the channel clogs that masquerade reality. But what of us, cast adrift in this inscrutable world? It all comes down to who we are together and how we fasten life to truth.
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•||• She's Imperfect but she tries. She is good but she lies.
[ Her hands are at his shoulders, fingers gripping tight with worry. He seems to finally be coming out of his daze, but when his focus returns he'll find Piper staring at him with worry in her eyes. He hadn't let go of the artifact yet, and he'd reacted to it so much more strongly than she had that she was beginning to get scared.
They'd been on the hunt for a while now, for clues that might lead to the legendary Archimedes' workshop, in hopes that SOMETHING in it might provide the means to free Varian's father, but in these old walls they'd paused, lingered. Something magical had called out to her, and thinking that it might be what they sought, Piper had cautiously picked up the medallion. It was just a necklace, exactly how dangerous could it be?
She'd dropped it so quickly that you'd think it was scalding hot, but she was pale after, staring at the object in confused horror. When Varian bent to pick it up she was too slow, still recovering from the after effects, her own daze. She didn't even have a chance to warn him before he'd touched it himself.
Dropping to her knees in front of him, she isn't sure how long he'd been staring into nothing, but her voice was just beginning to edge on panic when she recognized his pupils returning to normal. ]
Gods... Varian! You scared the wits out of me! Are you alright...?
His hands clench into fists against the dirt floor of the ruins, and he doesn't meet Piper's gaze. Her father had been through such great trauma because of her - in the way that now, on a good day, he can see what happened to Quirin was his fault. If he'd only listened-
No! It wasn't the same, he tells himself, because Varian had gone to all lengths to save his own father, while Piper had reacted by- by running away from hers. By removing herself from the picture in every sense.
In an instant, he's on his feet with his back to her. He knows he's relying on her, now, to help him save Quirin. He also knows that no one else will be able to see that what he'd done hadn't been the simple act of villainy. But, oh, he's furious.]
I'm fine.
Whoa, okay...? So then do you wanna tell me what the Hades just happened?
[ She asks, standing up, frowning at his back but giving him his space even though it was making her chest feel painfully tight. He'd been guarded until now, but NOW the air around him was downright FRIGID. ]
You don't know?
[He took a deep breath.]
What it showed me. Did you see it? Was it real?
Piper's expression should serve as answer enough, hurt flashing across her face. ]
You saw that...?
[ Her voice was tight. Her chest hurt. It felt like the room was starting to tilt and slowly spin. No... not like this. She didn't want him to find out like this. ]
[He shakes his head, unable to look her in the eyes.]
Were you going to tell me?
I was... it just never seemed like the right time.
[ And she was afraid of this very response. Her voice goes thick with emotion. ]
I did it to protect him, Varian, I'm not gonna pretend like that makes it better. But what would you have done? [ The idea of there being a next time, of him not being so lucky as to get out with only mental scars and a few bruises, and it being HER FAULT. She couldn't live with that. ]
[The word comes out sharp and loud.]
You don't get to talk about my dad! Look at what I'm doing to get him back, Piper!
What would I have done? I would have stayed to keep him safe.
Well I wasn't strong enough! You seriously think it would have been better to have to keep erasing his memory over and over?!
[ It's at least half selfishness and she knows that. ]
[She may have a point, about erasing his memory, but this is not something he's currently equipped to deal with.]
We have a job to do, right?
[He has some nerve, still asking for her help, and he's well aware of it. But there's no shame.]
She'll cross that bridge when it doesn't hurt so much to think about. ]
Yeah... Okay. Let's go.
[ She takes lead again, knowing that they've got a long way to go before they find everything they need to free his father. ]