the dark, it burns my eyes; dahmer, any

[magnus]

“The most interesting indeed,” he said, his voice gravely.

“I used to serve in the Chamber under my father for a time so while I was not fond of it after the raid,” a gross understatement, “I at least trusted there was good in it.” His mouth sharpened. “It was a tougher pill to swallow to work alongside the Valley.” There were deep prejudices there—bitter angers he still had not quiet untangled. “But I met and trusted Eight well enough.” He shrugged a scarred shoulder. “Truthfully, I was most invited by Offspring and he seemed like a good man whose interested were aligned with mine. After the Reckoning, it didn’t seem wise to stick to old lines. It was a time to work together.”

He listened as she explained their land, nodding politely and then giving her a grin. “It seems like there is a home here, which is nice. I am glad to know things have settled for you all.” He perks his ears a little at the thought of alliances but dismisses it for now. Tephra had not yet formed any official alliances and while he was seeking unofficial truces with kingdoms, he had not yet formalized anything yet. There did not yet seem a need for them with no war brewing; politics in general seemed to have died down.

It was an unsettling feeling, but he wasn’t certain he wanted to stir the waters yet.

It may be best to let the sleeping dog lie.

Finding her gaze again, the corner of his mouth curled. “Perhaps you could show me around?” A chuckle as he nodded in the direction that the other two had disappeared. “It can be a slightly different tour.” Still, there was a twinkle in his eye of good humor and mirth was apparent in his lopsided, scarred smile.

out of the blue out into the loneliest place that you'll ever know
I carried the world just as far as I could but the damage had taken its toll