When had been the last time he asked something of another? Whether for himself or them, he could recall neither. Yet here he was, both offering and asking. Neither had been pressed for yet without thought he willingly presented them, waiting even, in an almost expectance silence until she flattered him with another pure smile and her word that she would. No show of pleasure or reassurance darted through his dark eyes, simply a moments stillness before a small bob of his own head was given in acceptance.
An odd weight he had not realise had formed until that point shifted then. A sense of unease he had refused to acknowledge at the thought of the gentle creature before him drifting without concern to her own safety. The very idea of any taking advantage of the sweet nature she had shown in her acceptance of his sombre company sparked a ripple of rage he had not felt in so long. Had almost forgotten what it felt like. But she had given her word. With that lone thought he smothered the sparks and fell back to his inward silence, grasping resolutely at the empty darkness he knew and needed.
But she refused to allow him to hide back away in the depths of his mind. Words sung so simple and pure for a second he could have ignored the words themselves and simply listened to those tones without thought. But as they sank in a fresh ripple of surprise summoned him back to the present, back to the shimmering lady stood nearby.
The eyes that returned her hope filled gaze as ever gave little away to the inner turmoil within. He had not planned to. He had no plans at all. So where would be the harm in it? The harm stood there before his eyes. It already had been done in all her innocence and misplaced kindness. In each smile she bestowed upon him, causing the empty vessel to remember for a moment it was not quite as empty as it was so sure it was.
And yet in those few added words releasing him from any binding he found himself relenting to that internal nudge that refused to let up. "I have nowhere to go," he uttered quietly into the night, a desolate note sneaking in unawares though his thoughts were far from the truth of such a statement as once more he found himself offering the golden lady more than he thought ever to give. "Rest easy, I will stand by." As though to prove so his limbs shifted, moving his bulk through the darkness a fraction closer to her radiance, offering her whatever strange companionship she seemed to find acceptable in his presence.
