[Something about Venat always manages to throw Aubrey. Not in a bad way. Maybe countless years alive will do that to a person, nigh-endless experience and wisdom and all that—but it never feels like she’s being talked down to.
[It feels like a hand on her shoulder, guiding and patient. It feels, maybe, like being… human.
[It feels like someone missing.
[Someone who surrendered. Someone who will never get to pet a dog or see the light again. Someone who would have told Aubrey she was proud of her, and glad she existed—even if, in the end, it wasn’t enough.
[Tears are falling before she can think to stop them, and Aubrey pulls both hands back to cover her face, shaking.]
Venat....
[Not that her voice can hide anything. She leans into that touch. She can’t help it.]
[Well. What more can she do than reach out to draw Aubrey into a hug?]
[For all her skills and knowledge, Venat is not terribly good at hugs. Sheer lack of practice over the course of a very long life means she has no instinctual ability to compensate for their height difference. And the robes she wears are quite voluminous, forming a barrier between Venat and Aubrey.]
[Doesn’t matter to Aubrey. She throws her arms around Venat and melts, burying ugly sobs in voluminous robes. It’s not the same, of course, but—nothing else is.
[It’s a chasm. Nothing fills it. Months in Somnius have found Aubrey in far, far closer contact with people than she ever had been, compared to four long years in Faraway; the ache lingers, always. Venat’s words, her presence, bring it into sharp focus.
[And yet. Aubrey has held Sunny close; he needs her, too. She’s leaned on Eren; he knows how it feels. She and Luz support each other with words, when all else fails; there’s no need to fall apart.
[Venat has lived a thousand lifetimes. What does Aubrey have to offer but a flash of bravery and the mess underneath? (The stories, and what they mean to Venat in turn, are harder to hold on to.) Pulling Venat tight is different. It’s indulgent. It’s missed. The girl craves it desperately.]
[Not just the stories, not just the meaning. Aubrey is an exemplar of what Venat holds most dear to her heart -- the human spirit, and its search for meaning in a life that has none inherently. When Venat said Aubrey and people like her are her light, that may have in fact been understatement.]
[Beacons of light and life. Laughter that warmed my heart like naught else before. They are my meaning and my purpose. My love. So that is what Venat offers Aubrey, even through an imperfect hug: warmth, purpose, and love unending.]
Would you care to tell me about her? Though she cannot meet me, through your words, I can meet her.
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timeasmymeasure
cw death talk (uh, moreso than the rest of the thread)
Date: 2024-06-02 10:14 pm (UTC)[Something about Venat always manages to throw Aubrey. Not in a bad way. Maybe countless years alive will do that to a person, nigh-endless experience and wisdom and all that—but it never feels like she’s being talked down to.
[It feels like a hand on her shoulder, guiding and patient. It feels, maybe, like being… human.
[It feels like someone missing.
[Someone who surrendered. Someone who will never get to pet a dog or see the light again. Someone who would have told Aubrey she was proud of her, and glad she existed—even if, in the end, it wasn’t enough.
[Tears are falling before she can think to stop them, and Aubrey pulls both hands back to cover her face, shaking.]
Venat....
[Not that her voice can hide anything. She leans into that touch. She can’t help it.]
no subject
Date: 2024-06-03 02:25 pm (UTC)[For all her skills and knowledge, Venat is not terribly good at hugs. Sheer lack of practice over the course of a very long life means she has no instinctual ability to compensate for their height difference. And the robes she wears are quite voluminous, forming a barrier between Venat and Aubrey.]
[But nonetheless, she tries.]
no subject
Date: 2024-06-03 08:19 pm (UTC)[Doesn’t matter to Aubrey. She throws her arms around Venat and melts, burying ugly sobs in voluminous robes. It’s not the same, of course, but—nothing else is.
[It’s a chasm. Nothing fills it. Months in Somnius have found Aubrey in far, far closer contact with people than she ever had been, compared to four long years in Faraway; the ache lingers, always. Venat’s words, her presence, bring it into sharp focus.
[And yet. Aubrey has held Sunny close; he needs her, too. She’s leaned on Eren; he knows how it feels. She and Luz support each other with words, when all else fails; there’s no need to fall apart.
[Venat has lived a thousand lifetimes. What does Aubrey have to offer but a flash of bravery and the mess underneath? (The stories, and what they mean to Venat in turn, are harder to hold on to.) Pulling Venat tight is different. It’s indulgent. It’s missed. The girl craves it desperately.]
S… Sorry.... [A gentle memory says, “Don’t be.”] Y-you just… someone who I—
[She forces a swallow. It’s been a while.]
I wish she could’ve met you....
no subject
Date: 2024-06-07 01:08 pm (UTC)[Beacons of light and life. Laughter that warmed my heart like naught else before. They are my meaning and my purpose. My love. So that is what Venat offers Aubrey, even through an imperfect hug: warmth, purpose, and love unending.]
Would you care to tell me about her? Though she cannot meet me, through your words, I can meet her.