Cordelia Ravus was usually not one to pine after someone. She had grieved for her parents after their deaths, yes, but that was the only instant. That wasn't the case anymore, though. Not after meeting Therion. The two hadn't spent much time together, but she had felt an instant connection with him. When he was gone, on his search for the dragonstones, she often wondered if he had felt it as well. She could tell he had been betrayed in the past from the moment she met him and could tell that he was wary of her. It was obvious in the way he would speak to her and Heathcote. Telling him about her past had broken through his tough exterior, she had seen it in his eyes despite him doing his best to conceal it.
Now, on her way to Grandport, she couldn't help but to wonder where he was. He had said that they probably wouldn't see him again. Remembering their goodbye just intensified the longing she had. That, on top of the worry she held for Noa, was beginning to feel suffocating. Maybe, just maybe, when she finally got to see Noa, she would be able to speak plainly with her about this situation. Even if Noa didn't have any advice, being able to tell someone other than her diary would be nice. This just wasn't something she could talk about with Heathcote.
Pulling back the curtain and peeking out her window, she saw that they were finally arriving at their destination. Thankfully, the days long trip hadn't felt as long as she had thought it would. She sighed, letting the curtain softly swish back into place as she leaned back in her seat. After about ten minutes, the carriage stopped. She had arrived.
Cordelia sat on the bench, eyes on the horizon of the water. She had found Noa and her family, safe and sound. Soon, they would all be having dinner together. She had decided to stop at the inn beforehand, though, to change out of her travel clothes. Turning, she glanced at the tavern. Biting her lip, she took a deep breath. She had done this in every town they travelled through. Jumping up, she ran to the tavern and ducked inside. She wound her way through the people, listening for a specific voice and looking for a specific face, both of which would stand out in any crowd, in her eyes. As usual, she didn't find him. Despite expecting it, she was still disappointed.
She began to head back to the inn, deciding that she would check back in the tavern the next day.
The shifting sands of the Sunlands could be difficult to maneuver in. He remembered that much from his first trip to Wellspring. Now, in Marsalim, he was going to have to travel through even more sand.
"Ugh, this is horseshit," he mumbled, working his way across the hint of a trail he was able to see. It had been so much easier when he had been travelling with his companions. He had to admit that it had been a lot livelier travelling with them. But once Ophelia had finished The Kindling, the group had split apart. Cyrus had found his book, Primrose was off to restore her family name, Olberic was back to protecting his village, H'aanit was with her master, and both Tressa and Alfyn were continuing their travels separately after spending some time in their home village.
His own adventure had come to a close before that, and he had disappeared from Bolderfall, leaving her behind, but bringing his newfound trust with him.
Looking back, he could tell that he had felt a connection with her the first time they met. He had pushed it back, however, being bitter and harsh towards her multiple times, even though she was mainly polite to him. In fact, the only time she wasn't was what finally broke down the walls he had built up. They had come crashing down, and he hadn't been prepared for it. Rejoining his companions afterwards had helped a lot, though. He had been able to relax, and actually loose himself in the drinking and socializing, like all of the other tavern-goers.
For once, he hadn't felt alone.
But now, with all of his companions scattered across the continent, he was feeling alone again. His "job" still brought him thrills and riches, and he enjoyed it immensely. But late at night, when he couldn't sleep, the loneliness would hit again. And it felt like a fresh wound each time.
Last night, camping on the outskirts of Marsalim, it had hit particularly hard. His dreams that night were filled with her, the blonde-haired beauty that had taught him to trust again. He had woken up at dawn, and decided to head back to Bolderfall. He needed to see her, despite telling her that they probably wouldn't see each other ever again.
Thinking of his goal and what was waiting at the end of his journey, he decided that maybe walking through the sand really wasn't that bad.
Cordelia's time in Grandport had helped her mood plenty, but it was fast fading on the trip back home. She had spoken with Noa's mother, asking her for advice on how to deal with these feelings. She had waited until the night before she left to ask the question, so she would have something to think about on her trip home. The answer Noa's mother had given was simple: just wait for it to go away, keep your mind busy in other ways and after a while, you won't notice it as much anymore.
But no matter how hard Cordelia tried, she couldn't get Therion off her mind. She could hear the rain hitting the roof of the carriage, and it only made her mood worse. She leaned back, deciding to spread out on the bench, and fell asleep as they left the Highlands.
The next day, Cordelia thought of things she could do to occupy her mind once she got back to the Manor. Maybe she could clean it herself. She could order books from Atlasdam and study to become a scholar, or even move to Atlasdam for a while to study. Or maybe, she could ask for Heathcote to teach her how to use a dagger and fight like a thief. That sounded the most appealing, but she knew it wouldn't get Therion off her mind. If anything, it would just increase his presence in her thoughts.
Finally, late at night, they reached the Manor. She went to bed, deciding that she would ask Heathcote about learning to fight in the morning. The worst thing he could say was no, after all. This being decided, she fell into a dreamless sleep.
Therion couldn't fall asleep. He was close to Bolderfall, only a day's trip away on foot. He almost wanted to get up and continue those last miles, but he was so tired he could barely move, so he just continued to lay in his supine position, looking at the stars. Cordelia had been running through his mind all day today, and had been in his dreams for much of his travels on the way from Marsalim. Moving just enough to grab his flask of water, he took one large swig of it. Then he closed his eyes, and was asleep within minutes, and dreaming of her not too long afterwards.
He awoke with the sunrise, stretching out his sore body and gulping down his water. He threw together a breakfast with the little food he had left and continued to relax against a rock for the next hour or so. Finally, he got up and went one his way.
The day was long and hot, with little shade during the noon hour. He rested when the sun was directly overhead, eating a small meal and sweating heavily. If only someone were to come by and let me hitch a ride, Therion thought. But he knew it wouldn't happen, he didn't often have luck like that. So he got back on his feet and tread onwards.
He finally made it to Bolderfall at twilight. For once, instead of heading straight to the tavern, he went to the inn. Once he got to the room he was renting, he headed straight to the washroom to take a bath. Looking in the mirror, he saw that his hair looked dark brown from all the dust it had accumulated, and his skin looked almost like a lizardman's. when the tub was filled, he fully submerged himself in the scalding water. Scrubbing vigorously, he made sure all traces of dirt were gone. Exiting the washroom, he dug through his bag and found his clean clothes. He slipped on the plain grey shirt, pulled on his black pants, and tied a black sash at his waist. Then he put on his purple shawl and wrapped his purple scarf around his neck, covering the lower half of his face. Looking out the window, he realized the moon was high in the night sky. He pulled on his boots, which were almost worn out from all the travelling he was doing, and walked outside.
It was time for him to head to the Ravus Manor, and break in once more.
The morning hadn't gone as well as she had hoped it would. She had to argue with Heathcote until he agreed to train her, and it had taken half the day. When he finally caved, he told her she wasn't allowed to use any of the weapons just yet. He was going to teach her other tings first, like stealth, and help her become more agile. And he refused to start today. So she had just sat around the house all day, sulking. She took a long bath, soaking in there until the water was almost cold. Now, she stood by her window, with her wet hair dampening the back of her long nightgown. The short sleeves and thin material kept her from getting too hot while she slept, and the flowing skirt brushed the middle of her calves. She looked up at the stars, holding back a sigh. The moon was climbing high into the nighttime sky, casting a bright silver light over everything.
Deciding to leave the curtains open, she blew out her candle and crawled under her covers, her back to the window. She closed her eyes and did her best to relax so she could fall asleep. As she laid there, she started to hear strange sounds in her half-asleep state of mind. She didn't get up, thinking she was just imagining things. Then, when a blast of cool, fresh air came into the room, she snapped up, wide awake.
She turned to face the window, her heart racing. When she saw what was there, she felt time stop.
He had come back.
She blinked slowly, hoping she wasn't just imagining it. As Therion stepped off of her window sill, she got up from the bed and began to walk to him. She wasn't going to believe it was anything other than a dream, until she reached out to touch him. But, instead of just meeting thin air like she thought she would, she actually touched something. Startled, she jerked her hand back, holding it in her other hand, pulled to her chest. She could barely believe her eyes. He's actually here, she thought.
"Cordelia," he said, his voice in a high whisper, "I'm, uh, I'm sorry I startled you." He held out his hand, looking her in the eyes.
She stretched her hand back out, cupping his face. "You came back."
"Yes," he replied, leaning into her hand as he covered it with his own.
"I thought you said you weren't going to."
"I didn't plan to. But after I finished travelling with my other companions, I was back on my own. I still enjoy thieving, but I was lonely. And on some of those lonely nights, where I wouldn't be able to get to sleep, I realized I had been ignoring something I had been feeling for a long, long time."
"And what was that?" Cordelia asked.
"A connection I had. One with you. I felt it from the first time we met, and it only got stronger when you broke down my walls and taught me how to trust again." He took his hand from atop hers and reached for her face with both hands. Cupping it, he leaned in towards her. He looked deep into her eyes and stopped right before he got too close to her face.
Cordelia gazed at Therion with just as much intensity. "I felt a connection with you, too. It was almost instant. I missed you so, so much when you left after finding the last dragonstones, because I thought I would never see you again." She brought her free hand up and ran her fingers through his hair, vaguely realizing how soft it was. She stood on her tiptoes, leaning in closer to his face, her eyes still looking into his, and kissed him. Her eyes fluttered closed as the kiss deepened. His arms wrapped around her waist, with one hand reaching up to wind itself in her hair. Her own arms were wrapped around his chest, holding him tightly, and she never wanted to let go.
He didn't know how long they stayed like that, or how much time they spent just holding each other, not kissing at all. He did, however, start to fall asleep standing up. This startled Cordelia, who had to struggle some to prevent him from falling.
"Are you okay?" she asked, sounding worried.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, "I just haven't been getting a lot of sleep, and I've been travelling on foot a lot."
"Well, that's unacceptable. You don't need to run yourself ragged." She looked around the room. "Here, follow me," she said, grabbing his hand. She led him to the other end of her room, where there was a long couch. "You can sleep here tonight; let me go get you a blanket." She walked off before he could say anything to the contrary. "And take off your shoes!" she exclaimed, looking back over her shoulder.
Therion couldn't help but smile at that. He pulled them off, along with his scarf, shawl, and waist sash. He yawned, then pulled off his shirt, using it and his other clothes as a pillow. He was fully stretched out on the couch and was almost already asleep when Cordelia was back with a blanket.
Seeing him stretched out like that, she blushed. She could tell he was more than half asleep already and was glad for that—she didn't want him to see her blush just because she saw him shirtless. She tossed the blanket over him, making sure he was well-covered.
"Goodnight, Therion," she said, pressing a light kiss to his temple. Standing back up, she headed back to her bed.
She didn't know what was going to happen when morning came, but she wasn't worried. She had Therion with her now. And even if he left, she knew he would be back; that he would never leave and stay gone.
For the first time in ages, both fell asleep with a smile on their face.
Just something I threw together after playing Octopath. It's such an amazing game, and I loved all the characters and their stories. My inner shipper saw a few different parings, this is the first I chose to write for. Hope you enjoyed it!