[ Zaveid is old. He knows it, and everyone that knows him is aware of it too; he's lived through literal ages in time, from one Lord of Calamity to the other, through time that Sorey considers ancient history. He was there for the first ever 'Shepherd', back when Seraphim were visible, before the humans lost that again. He knew the first Lord of Calamity and the last, knew of Artorius and was close with Sorey.
He knew Maotelus, from when he was barely a child, chained and unaware of the world just as he had been.
Zaveid has been a slave to humans, had been chained and broken, had been freed and fought for the lives of the people he cared about. He had been a father and a lover and a friend and he had lost it all throughout his life, watching things slip away to pain and hurt and malevolence, the world taking the parts of him away until there was very little left. He was tired and he was sad, sometimes, without a way to explain it, without a way to fix it, and he knew it was age preying on him. Exhaustion burned under his skin and even being here, on this fleet, wasn't always enough. The pain found him here, too, even if he shouldered it without complaint.
How is his life going to end? It's a valid question. Some serpahim just live and live and live and wander and support humans. Some turn into dragons and get destroyed by anyone with the strength to help them. Some are hellions, some are killed, some are sacrificed. He doesn't know how his story is going to end, but he knows it's going to be a long one - the chapters of his life are there for the world to talk about now. Velvet, Eizen, Rokurou and Eleanor knowing one half, Mikleo, Dezel, Sorey and Edna knowing the other.
The arms around his neck ground him and he breathes out a shuttering noise, squeezing his eyes closed tight. How long has it been since the weight of protection hadn't been on his own shoulders? How long had it been since he really trusted someone else to take care of him? Not since Theodora - centuries of protecting others, bearing their pain, promising their death, never stopping or pausing for fear of what it might mean. ]
Yeah? I guess he was always good at sharing.
[ Not Laphicet anymore, though, is he? He's bigger and stronger now, protecting the entire world. Zaveid feels incredibly small in comparison. He fights the tears that gather in his eyes and leans back against Sorey - and a part of him thinks that this must look completely ridiculous, a seraph of his size leaning against a small, fragile human, desperate for his strength and his support, but... Sorey is far stronger than anyone could imagine.
Zaveid realises, suddenly, that he doesn't have to shoulder this alone. Sorey's shoulders can bear a little of his burden, can take some of the weight away. He doesn't have to be in exile.
He doesn't really mean to cry, either, but that happens too, and he's powerless to stop it. ]
I know where to go. If I ever feel like a long old nap you'll be the first person I go and see, alright?
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He knew Maotelus, from when he was barely a child, chained and unaware of the world just as he had been.
Zaveid has been a slave to humans, had been chained and broken, had been freed and fought for the lives of the people he cared about. He had been a father and a lover and a friend and he had lost it all throughout his life, watching things slip away to pain and hurt and malevolence, the world taking the parts of him away until there was very little left. He was tired and he was sad, sometimes, without a way to explain it, without a way to fix it, and he knew it was age preying on him. Exhaustion burned under his skin and even being here, on this fleet, wasn't always enough. The pain found him here, too, even if he shouldered it without complaint.
How is his life going to end? It's a valid question. Some serpahim just live and live and live and wander and support humans. Some turn into dragons and get destroyed by anyone with the strength to help them. Some are hellions, some are killed, some are sacrificed. He doesn't know how his story is going to end, but he knows it's going to be a long one - the chapters of his life are there for the world to talk about now. Velvet, Eizen, Rokurou and Eleanor knowing one half, Mikleo, Dezel, Sorey and Edna knowing the other.
The arms around his neck ground him and he breathes out a shuttering noise, squeezing his eyes closed tight. How long has it been since the weight of protection hadn't been on his own shoulders? How long had it been since he really trusted someone else to take care of him? Not since Theodora - centuries of protecting others, bearing their pain, promising their death, never stopping or pausing for fear of what it might mean. ]
Yeah? I guess he was always good at sharing.
[ Not Laphicet anymore, though, is he? He's bigger and stronger now, protecting the entire world. Zaveid feels incredibly small in comparison. He fights the tears that gather in his eyes and leans back against Sorey - and a part of him thinks that this must look completely ridiculous, a seraph of his size leaning against a small, fragile human, desperate for his strength and his support, but... Sorey is far stronger than anyone could imagine.
Zaveid realises, suddenly, that he doesn't have to shoulder this alone. Sorey's shoulders can bear a little of his burden, can take some of the weight away. He doesn't have to be in exile.
He doesn't really mean to cry, either, but that happens too, and he's powerless to stop it. ]
I know where to go. If I ever feel like a long old nap you'll be the first person I go and see, alright?