Common

Her brow furrowed in concern as he began to stammer out her name and a handful of theories invaded the free space in her mind. Had he been injured? Was that why he had forgotten her? Or did he find the name Hymn so abhorrent now that he couldn't bear to say it. She shifted uncertainly on her hooves, dark-rimmed ears ticking back as she breathed shallowly, afraid that she might inadvertently do something to scare him away.

Even though his lack of recognition had hurt her, she still didn't want him to go away. She'd been so happy to join him in the Harbor last time, so eager to start the rest of her forever. There would forever be a piece of her tied to him, even if this version of him couldn't recall anything they had shared together. I'm sorry, he whispered, his entire demeanor suddenly downtrodden and panic welled up in her chest, a sudden and overwhelming fear that she had messed everything up somehow.

"No, no, it's okay," she hastened to reassure him, worry choking her voice. "It's a weird name, I get it-" Only it wasn't and she knew it. Compared to some of the names she had seen it was extraordinarily easy to say, but still. She would make excuses for him until her dying breath if it meant he wouldn't look at the ground like that. Like she had hurt him, somehow.

His head rose and he began to speak again, rendering her silent and uneasy, as if waiting for there to be some sort of trick behind his words. She didn't understand why her name had suddenly triggered his memory, and it hurt her to think that he did not think of her face, or dream of her the way she dreamt of him. It made her feel small inside, but she swallowed down that kernel of pain and decided to accept what he was offering her. It wasn't an explanation or an excuse, just a possibility of a future she had long ago thought was dead.

One she had desperately wanted for herself.

"It's okay," she says again, a tentative smile lightening the pained expression on her face. "Things happen. I know you didn't mean it." Which was, perhaps, a bit of a lie. She didn't know what she knew, really, but she wanted to believe him so badly that she quit worrying about whether it was the truth or not. "I guess I didn't wait long enough, and for that I'm sorry, Sig. I should have been there waiting for when you got back."