Looking Back
The two looked up and froze. Their eyes held. Not a word was spoken between them. It was only for a moment, but they had found a kindred soul looking back.
The Southern Healer sees someone who had given up a childhood too early to protect those close to her. The woman had held their innocence in her hands and kept it safe and precious in a harsh reality. This Radiant Soul was haunted by the shadows too, by what she had seen and done. The people she protected undervalued her and mocked her. Their words hurt more than they knew. Without her mask, her spirit and mind would crumble and she would break. She had killed to save and told not a soul.
The Gentle Archer saw a courageous and persevering spirit born from tragedy. She knew the horrors of the world and done all she could to heal its scars. She had held up the world and kept going. Unappreciated, with most unaware, she faded into the background unless forced to fight. The Bloodbender was scared of what the fallout would be if her charges ever found out all she had endured and done for them. It didn't take much to imagine the incomprehension and hurt look in their eyes. She had done unspeakable things and bore the guilt alone.
In that look they realized they were not alone. Someone else out there could relate and it let them breathe once more. The weight they wore around their necks seemed just a bit lighter and their eyes were brighter. This gave them the courage to mask their gazes once more and go on. No one, but them would ever know the burden they bore and for them that was alright. Neither noticed the two old men off to the side with despair etched in their eyes and drinking tea.