The next day had arrived so much sooner than Thel would have liked, and she had not been able to close a single eye during the night.
And that was without knowing what was about to happen on this day.
Word had only just reached her that a ship of the UNSC would arrive shortly to pick up any remaining ambassadors, now that the relationship between their two factions was flourishing. While their cooperation would of course not simply cease but continue through other ways, which were to be determined in the future, Thel was fearing something entirely else.
Currently situated upon one of the highest towers of the Vadam keep, Thel had been staying there almost all night until morning before she witnessed the tiny form of the UNSC ship in the distant sky, gradually growing bigger in time.
She had waited there every single minute in the hopes for him to come… each second torturing her more than the last whenever her hopes would continuously rise and diminish in an endless circle. But in the end, it was clear which side was winning.
And it became more than evident when, at last, the ship was descending from the sky, landing not far away at a dedicated platform. She had been able to survey all of it from atop the tower, seeing each and every single individual down below, may it be her own people or the humans who stepped outside of the ship.
But the moment her eyes caught sight of him down below, openly approaching his people, she couldn't take it any longer. It was the answer… the one she had dreaded so much…
In the end… he was going to leave after all…
Her eyes closed, a shiver coursing through her entire being. She tried her hardest to control her emotions, to appear strong, to be rational…
… albeit it only lasted for a mere minute before she all but broke inside, abruptly turning away from the edge of the tower while her sorrow began to overwhelm her mind. Everything seemed to lose its purpose, its meaning, its worth… and she couldn't bear to see this any longer.
Within that moment, she felt stripped of any shred of happiness. And all that she wanted was to curl away in her quarters, away from anything outside.
Minutes… hours… Thel wasn't sure anymore how much time had passed ever since she had all but barged into her quarters before simply throwing herself upon her bed. Any Sangheili she had passed along the way almost had to go into cover, more than dazed at the way the Arbiter was seemingly utterly distressed. Or furious. Or both. None could tell, and no one wished to find out.
Which had served her just well…
A single glance outside revealed that the sun had long started to set in the distance, leaving only a sparse amount of light. A lifeless hum escaped her, followed by an inevitable sob that equaled a slight growl, her mandibles clenching together ever so slightly.
So she had been cowering here longer than she thought… and definitely not long enough, for the mere thought of moving a single inch only served to irritate and frustrate her even further. Her entire body felt sore, her head hurting, and her hearts were aching.
However, she was abruptly interrupted the moment a knock suddenly sounded against the metallic door. Her eyes sharply narrowed before she tried to calm herself, instinctively forcing back any tears that were still refusing to be shed. For a moment, she considered simply remaining where she was, not bothering to respond to whoever thought they were worth a split second of her time now.
And for a while, that was exactly what she did, silence reigning in her room once again.
But not long after, the knock sounded again. It was small, barely audible even. Almost hesitant. So subtle even that it seemed to agitate her even more than a regular knock would have. And once it sounded a third time, her hands clenched together.
With a heavy thud, she had risen from her bed, her strong steps approaching the large window at the end of her room before she dared whoever it was outside to enter, her back facing towards the door.
But still, the figure outside didn't seem to be frightened, and the metallic door slid open shortly after, followed by a light pair of steps. One that… she didn't quite recognize…
"What do you want…" the Arbiter's voice was deep, laced with a single meaning in her tone. Either they had something important to say and conveyed it briefly, or they would face a terrible end.
She was still facing towards the window, not wanting to show her current mental state to whoever it was, even when she heard another light step behind her.
"... I thought you might know best where I could stay for a while… I'm still not all too familiar with this place." her eyes immediately shot open, and in the blink of an eye she twirled around to see the person behind her, believing it to be a trick of her mind.
The air in her lungs left her. She felt as though both of her hearts had stopped. There, merely a few feet away from her, stood a single human being. He was clad in nothing but a basic combat overall, his brown eyes almost staring at the ground while he was holding a small and modest bag in one of his hands.
Merely one thing stood out, and it was the golden medal upon the left side of his chest, slightly decorating his shirt. A medal given to each and every single soldier who had been in the service of the UNSC, and was now free of any obligations after their retirement.
She didn't know for how long she had just been standing there, her hands having begun to tremble. It was only when she slightly reached out her right hand towards him that he looked up and towards her. Looking as though she was trying to grasp something that was still out of her reach, she took a small step towards him, then another…
… and before John knew it, he was suddenly lying on the ground the moment she all but threw herself at him, covering him almost completely beneath her while her arms held him in a desperate grip, refusing to let go. He felt all of the shivers and sobs that rippled through her body as she held him, the tears now freely shedding from her eyes.
But this time, it was due to a completely different emotion.
And all of a sudden, the world seemed to be so bright and vivid with colors.
"You… y-you are…" he was no illusion, she could touch him, she could feel him, she could hold him and never let go. And even as the last rays of light began to fade from outside, bathing the room in near darkness, she knew that he was still there…
… another shiver ran across her body when his hands tentatively enclosed around her waist as well.
"... still here. I figured I should let you know…" her breath almost hitched as her mandibles clicked, and she lifted her head from his shoulder only as far as necessary to look him in the eyes with her teary gaze.
Figured… he should let her know…?
She almost shook her head, unable to decide whether she wanted to cry or laugh, but in the end, she knew only one thing for certain as she engulfed his mouth with her mandibles, silencing any more words that might have escaped him.
He was here. And that was the only answer that she needed.