The frown that begins with Gale stepping away from her deepens when he speaks. His terse words cause her ears to flatten against her head in annoyance - making her all the more determined to keep her promise just out of spite for him having the gall to tell her what to do. It's an effort not to stick out her tongue or stomp a dark hoof into the sand. Mazikeen once again holds onto annoyance as though it could keep her from feeling anything else - though her ears do flick back upwards as he continues. She had asked him what he wanted once but now she’s not sure if she gives a damn anymore, not when this is what his answer is.
And then Gale continues and Mazikeen takes a single step, driven by the sadness in his gaze an insane instinct to comfort him, before she remembers herself and stops, shaking her head as if it can clear away all these troublesome feelings.
Still, her expression softens just for a moment when she loses her grasp on the protective barrier of annoyance and anger. “I wish I could believe that.” It seemed too convenient, though. His attempt at rejecting her hadn’t kept her away so of course he was trying something else. She would not admit how close it was to working, how the idea of him wanting a future with her affected her, so she convinces herself it’s just a lie meant to get under her skin, to push her away.
She doesn’t allow herself to think too much about why he’s pushing her away, because then she might have to admit it’s not a lie. That it would answer pretty much every question she’s had about the confusing highs and lows. How it make sense for him to want to keep her safe and that he’d try whatever way to make it happen.
Mazikeen finds her steel again, her voice even but passionate - unwilling as ever to back down. “How can you possibly think I would just go back to Hyaline? That I could just stay away and wait for news of when it’s over?” Pretending she didn’t care clearly hadn’t worked this time, she doubted it would in the future. “Of course I don’t want you to suffer but… I’m not built for that waiting game, Gale. You know what I am built for? Helping those I care about. In whatever situation, no matter how messy. It was too late to take it back the day I made that promise and it's still too late now.” Mazikeen had promised herself she wouldn’t make any more impassioned speeches. That certainly hadn’t lasted very long - but at least Gale wasn’t just standing there, staring at the ground this time. She continues, her voice matter-of-fact and accompanied by a sad smile. “Besides, you’ve already hurt me plenty I cannot believe it would matter much if you did so again.”
@[Gale]