[private] a falling star fell from your heart; ciri

[Astrophel]

The midnight mare glances away. Astrophel realizes that his curious inquiry might have been a dumb mistake to say. There was once a time he had not been star-touched. When the world had been dark and full of terrors—he had lost that connection with the stars, forced to return to the terrestrial world when he knew he belonged with the celestial beings. She answers him though despite how painful answering him might have been for her. Astrophel nods his head; he knows all too well what it is like to feel an empty void within you—a void you cannot fill with anything else. He looks at her with his bright blue eyes, a deep sadness replacing his once curious gaze. There are no words for him to say right now because what words could he say to anyone that would make anything better. Instead, she angles her head at him, his blue eyes noticed her features more clearly now, the scar across her face. It reminds him of a dark night sky, in the darkness, there is a hint of a shooting comet. It was pretty to him. Astrophel meets her gaze when she asks him if he is one of them. “I am,” he says softly. A feeling of regret creeps over him. It felt wrong to tell her he was a star-touched when she had been one of them—he knows she had been, he can feel it. He doesn’t say anything more on the topic of being star-touched (at least not now unless she asked him). She laughs softly after speaking again. His ears swivel forward, his blue eyes flicker with joy, and a soft smile grows on his pale lips. Astrophel was happy to hear something positive from her. For a moment, he knew the anger and bitterness within her was gone. His cheeks feel warm when she mentions he has done so much. Astrophel was a giver though; it was within his nature to always give and make others feel happy. He would do anything for anyone truly. “It was nothing at all,” he simply puts it because to him it made him happy to know she was feeling better within this moment. “It’s nice to meet you Ciri,” he says warmly, “My name is Astrophel.” It meant star-lover his mother had told him once. His mother had been star-touched too, but truthfully, his relationship with his mother was a distant one. It had been his father who had been the one to love and care for him. “What does a Thane do?” He asks curiously, not understanding exactly, but it reminded him of a high rank within one of the kingdoms. Ciri had mentioned the Isle. “The Isle as in Icicle Isle?” He asks shyly. Truthfully, Astrophel was not familiar with the ins and outs of the terrestrial world when he belonged to the stars above. At one time he did know the world, but that Beqanna had long been forgotten and the Dale he once knew was but a distant memory now.

@Ciri