The wind is blowing, softly, and they are alone on the outskirts of the Feita camp. The rest of their friends are wandering around, probably teasing one another and upgrading their gear, but not Raven or Rena.
Admittedly, it isn't the prettiest place for a confession. He'd rather there was forest around them, with flowers and trees and birds singing distantly, but she looks beautiful here as she always does. So much like how Seris looked when he proposed-
No, he is thinking about Rena. How her hair blows in the wind, how she whispers to the grass as she tightens her bow string. She's so elegant and graceful, truly what one thinks about when
Raven takes a deep breath and walks over to her.
"Rena, I-" He starts to say, but stops, thinking over the words. This is hard, a hard thing to say. So he says it as swiftly as he can. "Rena, I love you."
The wind blows, softly, and she stares at him. Seconds pass and they seem like days, and in what has to be instinct he leans close and kisses her gently. She kisses back, puts her arms around his neck, and when they finally break it off she is smiling.
"I love you too." She tells him, but her eyes don't seem to fully be in it. "It's so nice to see you happy; you're so handsome when you smile. I'm happy that you feel this way about me, but I have to ask you something. Do you love me, or do I just remind you of Seris?"
The words startle him, and he stares blankly at her. She does look like Seris, slightly, and she acts like Seris so often, and if he stops thinking he still can believe she is Seris, and his heart-
His heart beats like how it beats when he remembers Seris, not like how it beats when he was with her. All of the happiness feels like memories, not like actuality. This, this isn't what Rena deserves. She deserves to be loved by the whole world, and to have true love.
She doesn't deserve to be loved like a memory.
He doesn't say a thing. How do you put it in to words that when you confessed your love to someone minutes ago it was simply because you were reminded of your fiancé, who's death still rings in your ears? He isn't good with words normally, and emotions complicate things forever.
"I understand." Rena whispers to him, and he believes her. "You deserve love, not just memories of it. We could be fine together, but I'd rather you be truly happy with someone you really love. Come back when you love me, or fall in love with someone else, but make sure that you are happy."
It's often that he forgets exactly how old Rena is compared to the rest of them. She seems young, as young as him, not like someone who's been around for hundreds of years. But sometimes, when she talks, she sounds wiser than anyone else around.
He turns away and walks back in to town, feeling a mixture of sadness and relief. He should fall in love with Rena, not with a memory, because that is what she deserves. He will never forget Seris, but he shouldn't cling to people simply because they look at her.
Mostly, he's relieved because when he turns away, he doesn't see any tears on the elf's face.