The gnome who Centrius had slapped with the stray newspaper tumbled back over his chair, scurrying away as the two tall people completely ignored him. "Watch it, long legs," the little man grumbled as he moved to sit in another part of the inn's lobby.

Sharimara continued to stand with her head lowered, unsure of how to behave when a man ogled her and, for once, she didn't mind. For so many years she'd mastered the art of scaring away anybody who invaded her little bubble of personal space; now that she had a man she was interested in, and that a small voice in her head whispered was interested in her, she didn't quite know what to say.

Centrius stood up, shutting his mouth and looking embarrassed over how he'd reacted. It was the first time, whether there at Balrissa or before at Booty Bay, that she'd ever seen him look shy over anything. He had always been so confident and self assured without being arrogant that to see him turn sheepish made her want to pinch his cheeks.

Not that she wasn't impressed as well. Although his pants and sandals were clearly of trollish design, the tabard he wore on his upper body was the factional one of the Sentinels. In any other foreign place he'd be taking a big risk by wearing it, but in a mostly neutral land such as that of the Pandaren, nobody was likely to notice.

Except Sharimara. She most definitely noticed the tabard. And the fact that he'd deduced not to wear a shirt underneath it.

"I'm sorry," he chuckled at himself. "I've never seen you dressed up like that before."

"Oh...is it too much?"

His eyes widened for a moment in surprise at her question. "No! Elune, no, it's amazing. I feel underdressed, actually."

Sharimara could already feel the heat rising in her cheeks. "You look fine," she said. By some strange stroke of fate, she managed to keep her voice even while speaking, and fortunately he didn't appear to take her comment the wrong way.

"Well, thanks to you, too...though I do have something more formal upstairs."

"No, you..." She stopped herself, wondering for a moment what he'd look like when dressed up. She'd seen him in casual clothing twice and his armor once, just like how he seen her. And as much as she enjoyed sneaking peeks at his obliques due to the tabard leaving the sides of his torso uncovered, she did wonder how he'd look when dressing a little less casually.

"It's up to you," she said, pulling off the faintest phantom of a smile that would have made Mao Mao proud.

Signal received. "Just give me five minutes," he replied cheerily. The two of them looked at each other awkwardly, sharing a little laugh as neither of them seemed brave enough to hug each other again.

In the end, he settled for a formal bow before he returned to his room, which she reasoned was probably for the best; she already felt shy as it was when wearing a revealing outfit for...well, she'd dressed as a courtesan roughly seven decades ago during a plot that required her to kidnap the warchief of the Horde so he could be replaced by an imposter, but that was only for the job. By choice, she couldn't remember the last time she'd been around other people without either her armor or a disguise on for the sake of traveling. Both of her parents' respective races weren't known for conservative clothing outside of cold weather; in retrospect, she shouldn't have felt so shy about her dress. Perhaps it was just an issue of habit by then. If things with him worked out, she might be willing to break it.

Grinning impishly at the thought, she walked over toward the reception desk of the inn. She felt a little too excited to sit down, but preferred to lean against something when standing (or even walking) in the mandarin dress. While she waited, she noticed a bored looking local teenager staring at a crossword puzzle without actually filling in any of the letters.

"Hey," she said to the pandaren girl, smiling when the youth looked up with bored, lazy eyes. "Hi. Would you happen to know a restaurant nearby that would be a good place for a date?"

The youth looked momentarily interested before her short attention span began flickering between the question and the crossword puzzle she hadn't even started yet. "There's a pizza parlor right around the-"

"For a date between two adults, I mean."

Furrowing her furry brow, the pandaren looked a little offended but retained her mindfulness about customer service. "Well, my parents like this place called The Mighty Wind that's two intersections north, then three doors down. They serve full courses of, like...chicken and stuff."

"Alright, I think we'll try that," Sharimara hummed. She hadn't eaten at a proper restaurant in a few years, and thought it would be quite nice to eat out again.

While waiting a few more minutes, a thought popped into her head: as long as she was there, she might as well try to help Centrius out. He'd never mentioned having visited the island before, and would likely need help getting around. "Oh, by the way...my friend will be traveling to the Fortresss of Hope in five days. Can your management arrange transportation for him?"

Barely paying attention anymore, the slightly offended receptionist scratched her head. "Mister Nightshade? Um..." She slipped her thumb in the middle of a stack of papers at the main desk to peek at her notes. "He never mentioned the Fortress of Hope. He'll check out in five days and asked for a possible extension depending on whether or not things work out with his lady fr..." The young receptionist stopped herself and paused, glancing around nervously as if she'd broken a rule. "Sorry, I'm not supposed to discuss so many details, though I assume he was referring to you. But he didn't mention anything about going anywhere else on the island."

Sharimara paused, gears turning in her head as she considered the words. If things work out...with his lady friend. Obviously talking about her. But maybe he just didn't tell the innkeeper where he intended to go next?

Did he lie? Was it a big deal if he did? Would he lie about other things? He was always so open with how he felt...what exactly does that mean?

Pursing her lips tightly and mentally berating herself for overanalyzing, she tried to shove down all the questions swirling around inside her mind. "Thank you," she told the receptionist, promptly leaving the young woman to stare at the crossword puzzle thereafter.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Centrius said from behind her as he came down the stairs.

She swung around and almost did a double take herself. Not only had he kept his pants, but he'd also switched the tabard out for the sort of vest also associated with the more civilized among trollkind. She'd seen her father dress in such a manner before, though in the colors of the Darkspear tribe. The way Centrius was outfitted was a bit more curious, and obviously custom made: a more civilized style of troll clothing, but with the colors of the Sentinels. She hadn't noticed it before, but even his pants and sandals matched the colors. It was an interesting twist to see, and he managed to pull the style off well. The vest also left his arms and shoulders bare, which she didn't mind.

"No...don't worry about it," she replied while smiling at his change of outfit. It was nice to see...but her mind wasn't at ease.

Oblivious to the tidbit of information she'd gained, he stepped forward and offered her his arm. "Any place in particular you had in mind?"

Always capable of putting up a front, she locked elbows with him and looked outside the open door of the inn. "Yes...not too far from here is a place called The Mighty Wind. I hear that they're good."

"Shall we, then?" he said, patting her on the arm and waiting for her to lead.

Worry bubbled up again when she wondered if he would catch on to the fact that she was distracted. Resigning herself to simply leaning her head on his shoulder momentarily, she began to lead them forward. "We shall."

Outside, the two of them didn't stand out as much as she'd expected. They were dressed quite differently from one another and Chi-Ji was quite far away from the rest of the world; even by the standards of Pandaria, it was remote. All sorts of castaways congregated there, however, and the locals were used to seeing all sorts of odd couples.

The walk was a pleasant one without interruption, though that didn't prevent Sharimara's mind from wandering to the topic of Centrius' visit. Every step of the way, a voice in the back of her mind kept asking her whether or not the receptionist had simply gotten the situation wrong, whether or not Centrius actually had deceived her, whether or not the purpose of his visit was something worth being upset over...and how exactly she'd be able to bring it up in conversation. She'd have to, eventually; her paranoia and atrophied ability to rein in her own feelings would drive her mad if she didn't.

"You really have a nice city here, Shari," he remarked as the two of them walked. And rather slowly, due to her discomfort in the dress. "It's remote, but sometimes it's nice to be away from everything for a while."

Taking a deep breath, she pretended like all the questions had disappeared and tried to just enjoy being with him again after such a long period of separation. "It was definitely needed at the time when I arrived here; I'd been bouncing around for a while, so to speak."

"Northrend and then Stormwind and then Tanaris and then mainland Pandaria...that's not too bad considering the period of time."

"Well, there were other stops in between...but not for as long as the above places. Though even Stormwind, you know, I didn't stay there for that long. I spent the longest amount of time in Northrend. That's where..." For a moment, Sharimara felt a twinge of sadness again. Instead of fleeing from it, she clung to it; she'd become a bit emotional, but remembering the hurt could take her mind off of her creeping doubt.

"...that's where I did a lot of my coping, you know? That continent has probably the most tragic history of just about all of this planet, specifically. Seeing how much the different races of people there suffered helped me to put things in perspective. After we left Booty Bay, I had finally started to think about a lot of things - oh, this is the restaurant, by the way."

The two of them had reached the establishment in question, a fusion restaurant that was full but surprisingly quiet. The lighting was relatively dim, and most of the tables were behind partitions or bonsai trees just tall enough to provide more shadows in the already dim interior. The place looked romantic sure enough; perhaps, Sharimara thought, it was the sort of atmosphere she'd need to relax and open up a little bit more.

A few other couples waited outside, mostly local pandaren who chatted quietly and sat on a few benches on the patio. The hostess spotted the odd couple as they approached and smiled politely. "Table for two?" she asked, causing Sharimara to inexplicably grit her teeth at the pointlessness despite the young lady's cheery manner.

"Yes," she answered flatly, once again reminding herself not to get angry at people who didn't mean anything wrong by the occasional lapse in reason.

The woman flipped through a few laminated red tags before handing Sharimara one with the number seventeen written on it. "That will be a half hour wait, just to let you know."

Looking up to Centrius for consensus, she found him nodding agreeably. "That's fine. We'll make sure not to go far away." She offered him the tag at first before realizing that he didn't have any pockets in his vest, and then slipped it into her handbag.

"The bridge over there has a nice view of that canal...maybe we could go for a walk before we eat?" He pointed toward one of several stone bridges linking the canals leading in from the harbor. It was isolated and empty of other people, which she preferred for their first real face to face talk since he'd arrived.

"Sounds like a good plan," she replied, until lifted but still unable to smile due to the topic they'd just started to broach before reaching the place.

The two of them walked for about half a minute before they were alone, and then leaned over the railing overlooking the canal. Starlight shimmered over the dark waters, almost reminding her of Kalimdor in a way. She'd been gone from her home continent for a good forty years, it must have been...Dilly's parents hadn't even been born at that time. How time flew by for a being that lived for so long...

Centrius scooted over closer to her, his voice soft and almost melodious in the breeze. "So after Booty Bay is when you started to think about a lot of things, I take it?" he asked, reopening their prior discussion.

"Yes...a lot of things," she sighed, already feeling nervous at the sort of memories she might be exhuming. "I fell into my old lifestyle again, but I at least took to heart the things you told me about moving on...no, about coping, I guess."

"That's a much better term."

"It is. I still keep that photo of my little girl...I even learned how to say Shania's name out loud without weeping. But moving on - no, she's always my daughter, no matter how much time passes. Coping is the term: talking about it, accepting it, understanding that there's a bigger wisdom to the cosmos even if we'll never understand it. You helped point me in the right direction, and walking among so many refugee camps and ruined towns in the Grizzly Hills lit that path, so to speak. People are damaged, maybe even broken, but we put ourselves back together again and move on, even if we must limp along the way."

"It sounds like you experienced quite a bit of healing while there, even if you continued living from quest to quest for a while," he said while watching her out of the corner of his eye.

The way he smiled at her wryly tickled her inside, but not as strongly as it should have. It was as if one comment from a stranger at the inn had scared her back behind her emotional walls, and she felt a measure of disappointment when she was unable to feel that intoxicating magic she had when alone with him just twelve hours earlier. She knew the magic was there; it was just that her shell absorbed so much of any sort of stimuli in the outside world when it was around her.

Forcing herself to press on in hopes of a longer, slower paced evening helping her to open up again. "There was healing, yes, but it was hampered by my lifestyle. The world was on its third Liche King at the time, and that continent was much more dangerous than as it is now...it's probably safer than the Eastern Kingdoms now."

"Not probably...certainly, from what I heard from a few sentinels on the voyage over."

A mental image of Centrius spending a week and a half or so on a ship with female night elf soldiers suddenly made her angry for no reason, and Sharimara found herself tensing up even when she knew it was a silly random thought. "I...yes, well I guess that's what they say," she replied flatly. "Anyway, it was a dangerous place at the time, and I knew very little rest. The money was great, and back then I was with Steamwheedle - I think technically three separate cartels lay claim to the legacy of that older one - so it was easier to just keep working reconnaissance for various factions rather than actually taking a long, hard look at my life."

"So what happened with Stormwind?"

"Ugh...I dislike that topic, and there isn't much to it. I was only there briefly and had spent more time in Ellwynd itself. Once that kingdom collapsed entirely, I just went to Tanaris and lied low in the desert for a while. I didn't go there directly - there were a few stops along the way since I lost a lot of money upon the breakup of Steamwheedle. And then I got mixed up with some untrustworthy people while there. A bad guild. And...well, I used to bust unchartered guilds for a living and they got busted by...somebody. I also used to fight against piracy, but ended up with a group of mostly women pirates off the coast of the Jade Forest."

Sharimara looked back down into the water briefly, feeling the sting of times literally only she and Mao Mao knew about since the others had all died. "I'd coped with my pain of memories past, but bad choices sort of led me into questionable lines of work for a good century or so. And when I ended up shipwrecked here - we were already headed for Chi-Ji, but still, we literally got shipwrecked - I sort of stumbled upon this place at the right time. It's the end of the world...probably the best place for psychological detox."

Turning to face her fully, he looked her up and down with admiration shining in his eyes. "The fact that you can look back and rational assess your choices is a big step, Shari. We all make mistakes; stepping back and making the decision to correct them is something many of us fail to do." He reached up and put his arm around her shoulder, squeezing her in a half hug for a moment. She was confounded...that hug should have made her blood run hot with excitement. Instead, she just couldn't relax, and the fact that she couldn't relax made her even less relaxed. "You should feel proud," he told her before releasing her from his unreturned half hug.

Pride wasn't a good descriptor for what she felt regarding her boring, monotonous life on an island that might as well have been a separate planet in and of itself. Frustrated by her inability to rejoice at his words, she tried to just flip the conversation onto him. "So what about you, then? You told me that you basically spent half the past century and a half there and half of it here," she said while pointing to the ground to indicate the planet of Azeroth plus Chi-Ji the proverbial mini planet.

He smiled and looked down again. His expressions were always so relaxed, so warm...she felt jealous of his ability to always remain calm without burying his head in the sand. Honest optimism seemed so alien to her.

"My life hasn't been nearly as entertaining as yours...the gist I gave you yesterday is mostly it."

Mild amusement mixed with irritation, her determination to get him to talk only increasing in reaction to his evasiveness. "Come on, there has to be more to it than that. You spent such a long time on Outland...didn't you try to set up a new life there?"

"Well...ah, no, to be honest. I didn't. There was a time when I believed that I'd never see Azeroth or anybody I cared about again. I despaired for a long time, mostly because I could never learn to just accept my situation. I suppose that makes me a hypocrite; I impressed upon you at Booty Bay the need for acceptance, and I forgot my own lessons when the time came for me to really implement them.

"Outland is a hellish place. The planet is depressing and its own natives know it; acceptance is unknown there. There were so many demons, and they always reappeared, that I became obsessed with destroying them for a time; the pay was horrible just like every single job there, but it kept me from ever actually reflecting on my situation. A surprising amount of demon hunters from among the Kaldorei and shadow hunters from among the Darkspear helped me to keep my Darnassian and Zandali alive, and those were my only true pursuits. Eighty years...my goddess, Shari. Even now I look back and wonder how I didn't go mad."

"Well...if it's any consolation, it sounds like you did have companions from both parts of your heritage...well, I guess Darkspear is different from Skullsplitter, but you had the language." Suspicion propelled her, and she found herself a little less distant and closed off when trying to pry again. "You surely must have formed close bonds with some other adventurers while there..."

"Bonds were formed based on our exploits keeping villages safe. There were almost no raids; just lots of constant, endless local quests whenever people sighted demons and other monsters near their settlements. There was comeraderie, but we never knew much about each other; reminiscing about the past was painful for anybody stuck there, so we all just focused on the present."

"So you really never formed a long term bond with another person?" she asked more insistently.

When he hummed to himself and looked down thoughtfully, she began to worry that she'd pushed so far that he realized her intention. A very exposed feeling frightened her, and as open and forward as Centrius had always been, Sharimara felt herself retract even more into her shell at the thought that she might be putting her feelings out there more than he did.

"I really didn't; other people did, but I couldn't. It just...didn't feel right."

Temporarily reassured, she nodded and watched the water in the canal as he was, trying to quell her apprehension over the bigger questions she wanted to ask him. If he'd waited for so long, then had it been for her? If so, why couldn't he just say it? Why couldn't he be his normal open, direct self and just tell her if he'd remained single for so long because he couldn't be without her?

She'd ask herself why she couldn't just ask him, but the answer to that question worried her even more.

"And what about now, Cent? You found what's left of your family again - I'm guessing your son in law is the third piece in addition to you and your daughter."

"That's correct."

"So for the other eighty years, let's say I use twenty from-" She stopped herself and felt her back muscles tense up. Was she really about to blatantly mention the fact that he'd been in therapy for twenty years? Of course, he'd mentioned it without shyness in their letters, but...she felt like she was being so direct. He must have caught on to her by then...frustration at the situation, him, and herself created a toxic mix, yet she feared the awkwardness of silence.

"I meant to say...what have you been doing since you resettled?"

If he thought ill of her stuttering, he didn't show it. "I wish I had more to tell, but...I think I've fallen into the lethargic trap many of the longer lived races can get caught in. I've heard it from elves, other half elves and even draenei before: when you know you won't die of natural causes for a few more centuries, it's easy to become lazy and stop progressing in life. It's one of the reasons why short lived humans with far less experience can outrank elves or draenei in companies or militaries: we lack the strong ambition and drive of somebody who will live and die in the blink of an eye.

"So I guess I fell into that trap. I spend a lot of time at my daughter's business - she still trains nightsabres for riding, by the way - and just being a pest to them in general." He chuckled with a wistful look in his eye, though Sharimara's impatience in waiting for the bottom line prevented her from sharing that feeling. "So I mostly just go to the tea houses and read the local papers, and argue in Darnassian with other older fellows there about politics and sports. I suppose it's...ha, I suppose I don't use my time very wisely. And it's probably about time I start to think about my long term plans for the remainder of my like. But...I feel like I've reached a point where I'm at least stable again. And as long as I'm in contact with my family again, then I feel like I can get started."

She moved to face the waves again, seriously thinking of whether or not she should just ask him blatantly. Her heart beat a bit faster in an irate fashion; she'd been married twice to two losers she didn't miss, but only Centrius could make her simultaneously want to kiss him and slap him, and just yell and ask whether he'd come there to rekindle things with her or not.

"I guess that's how one gets started," she sighed into the breeze, trying to say anything to help her calm herself down.

The two of them both watches the waves, and he scooted a bit closer toward her, cheery and unaware of the internal conflict and nervousness she felt. "It really is important, Shari," he whispered to her. "Family is important, even if they live far away."

She tensed up; this was a dangerous zone for her. "I know what you're saying is correct, but...I'm still not in contact with mine. I know I should be, and I'm happy for you finding yours again, but on that front I feel like I'm in the same spot I was back when we first met. I just don't know how to approach them after so much time spent as the self designated black sheep."

Casual yet honest as always, he spoke quietly but with a sincerity that should have warmed her. "It's never too late to patch things up with family; that's why family are different than friends. Maybe if you just replied, and wrote them back telling them honestly how you feel, you'd be surprised at how accepting and supportive they are."

The waves lapped at the brick walls of the canal, creating a soothing rhythm in tandem with the current. But as every fine hair in her mane raised up on the back of her neck, Sharimara felt far from soothed. Starlight that she normally looked to for inspiration twinkled on the top of the water, shining up at her the same way Centrius' eyes shone with such serenity. But when she sensed her stomach turning in reaction to the shocked anger she felt mounting, she began to panic at her own inability to control herself.

"Cent..." she whispered, furrowing her brow in confused frustration.

Though she was an expert at concealing her feelings, he was no dummy; he continued watching the water, calm as always but suddenly more cautious. "Yes, Shari?"

Attempts to moderate her respiration failed; it was as if the bridge of her nose shrunk in diameter, and her lungs couldn't receive an adequate amount of oxygen. The constriction filled her with more nervous energy, and she gripped the iron railing tightly in an attempt to work some of her shock out of her system.

"I never told you that I haven't replied to my family's letters."

The two of them sat motionless for a moment, the suspense only serving to further annoy her. Centrius was many things, but a coward he was not. Although he shifted his weight in a way that appeared sheepish, he wasn't about to lie to her face. That made his deception about other things all the more confusing.

"I guess not," he whispered back, a contrite tone lacing his voice that should have assuaged her resentment toward him.

"And I never told you that my family wrote to me at all."

"I know..."

"And I never told you that they even know where I am."

He pursed his lips for a moment and paused as if searching for the right words.

"You're right."

"And you never told me how exactly your daughter found me if I'm not listed on any of the Serenity genealogies anymore."

Ever so slowly, he straightened up and turned to face her with an apologetic expression. He was sheepish without shrinking away, an odd combination that would normally have caused her to wrap her arms around him right there. But when she felt her nostrils flaring, she feared what she might do, and prayed silently that he'd say something, anything, to alleviate her fears. That silent prayer, however, was all she found herself able to do.

"Cent...the receptionist told me that you aren't going to the Fortress of Hope in five days," she said, wincing at the curt tone of her own voice but unable to repress her doubts lest she drive herself crazy.

He laid a hand on the railing next to them, trying to lean closer to her. When she pulled away and folded her arms in front of her, she finally saw him frown. "I'm not going at all," he replied. "But...the reason-"

"I don't like being lied to, Cent. I don't like it."

"Nobody does...you have the right to feel upset. But you see-"

"I don't like that word. 'But.' What's going on here? Why did you tell me you had work?"

"Because I wanted to see you, Shari!" he exclaimed, his caution temporarily falling away as he gave her an almost sad smile. "I've waited...so long to find you again. I couldn't just show up, though; I have to respect your space, your new life, and your own wants. I had no idea of knowing whether or not you feel the same-"

"Are you even single?" she asked bluntly, interrupting him without remorse and giving him a hard look.

Not for one second did he become angry or irritated. Despite his dangerous profession, she'd never seen such emotions from him and even wondered if he was capable of feeling such things toward her. He was most certainly offended, however; that much was clear from the almost pained expression he gave her.

"Shari...how could you even ask me something like that?" he asked, the hurt just barely breaking through in his voice. "I promised you all I would find you one day and we could let fate decide where things went...why would I spend so much time and energy finding you if that isn't what I wanted? Why would I still carry that desire with me after centuries-"

"So you desire to be with me so you can lie to me about your intentions? How does that work?"

The muscles in her jaw tightened even as a voice in the back of her head screamed at her to stop, to calm down and think about what you're saying to him. Her emotional walls shook as part of her pushed against them and part of her tried to hold them firm, the resulting quake scaring both sides of her mind and jarring her ability to think clearly. She felt trapped by his deceit, trapped by the bad temper she knew she had, trapped by a living reminder of how little she'd progressed as a person, trapped by her sense of stupidity. For so long, she'd kept those walls up specifically so she'd never get hurt; and there she was, on her very first try letting them come down just for a short while, already feeling deceived.

He didn't take the bait. For a few long seconds, he gave her a pleading look, breathing evenly in contrast to her ragged, angry yet unsatisfactory breaths. "Shari...for so long, I thought of you. I thought of what things would be like if we ever crossed paths again, but also worried so much that my feelings wouldn't be returned-"

No, she would not be manipulated. She would not allow him to open her heart like that without her permission. "How did you find me?" she asked sharply, cutting him off and throwing out any salient subject she could think of in order to protect her trust from being violated again.

"Please just list-"

"How. Did you find me."

Pausing again, he looked as trapped as her. The expression didn't suit him; he was clearly a man who normally wouldn't be caught in such a situation to begin with, but had allowed himself to become close to someone. Just more confirmation, in her mind, of how closeness lead to pain.

Sighing heavily, he bowed his head but continued to look into her angry glare with an apologetic look. "When we parted ways at Booty Bay, you told me about your brother and his wife in Ratchet, where you grew up. I tried so hard to find you, and when I couldn't-"

Her pulse raced to an unhealthy rate, though the occasional skips felt even more disorienting. "For how long have you been writing to them?" she gasped, her fingers already starting to tremble as she felt a very deep, dark, personal, uncomfortable part of her life being invaded. "For over six months...Cent, for over half a year you've been writing back and forth to me, when were you planning on telling...oh, I'm such an idiot! How else could your daughter have know where I am!"

"Now hold on a minute, Shari, I didn't just write to them or something impersonal like that. My daughter and I went out on a limb and visited your family personally."

"What!"

"Because I care Shari, don't you see? Because they care too, they told me about you."

"I can't believe this!"

"It's alright, Shari, just calm down. Your brother is very suspicious and protective; he normally wouldn't give the time of day to a stranger asking about you, and he wouldn't deal with me at first. Only when my daughter spoke to your sister in law did they understand what you and I shared...and that we all miss you, in our own ways. They agreed to send my letter without giving me your address; your brother Navarion was insistent that I would only be able to contact you without going through them if you wanted me to."

"That's not your right!" she shouted loudly enough to make him jump back.

"Why are you speaking to me like this?"

"I have the right to ignore their letters and the letters of anyone else! I have the right to screw up my personal life in any way I see fit! I have private reasons and it's not the right of you or anyone else to interfere in that! I'm being smothered and I don't have to accept that!"

"I'm sorry, I truly am; I never meant to upset you, but you have to under-"

"Don't you tell me what I need to do about my personal life! You're not listening to me, I keep telling you that it's not your right!"

He held up both hands in surrender, trying in vain to calm her down, but only pressing the walls in on her even further with each attempt. "I'm listening to you, Shari, I waited so long to listen to you-"

"I'm not a liar! I told you that you're not listening, don't say I'm lying! You're the one who lied about why you came here! You're the one that hid from me the fact that you and my family are conspiring to control me!"

"I never intended-"

"You lied! You lied to me! You're the only person I thought I could trust and you lied! And now you're here, hunting me down after so long, digging up these old feelings you can manipulate my heart with!"

"Please, don't do this-"

"You're the reason I can't be normal!" she shouted, backing away from him when he held a hand out toward her longingly. "You're the reason I could never move on with personal life, you're the reason I couldn't maintain a stable relationship for a hundred and sixty fucking years!"

Her voice echoed and bounced off the railing of the bridge, yet was heard only by the two of them. Ragged, exhausted breaths exited her lungs faster than they could enter. Her fangs bared, she found her entire body shaking in fear masked as anger, the only way she knew how to protect herself. What had started as one comment had escalated beyond her reach, but even when she realized that, she was powerless to stop the escalation on her own.

If she ever had any doubt what a strong person looked like when they were entirely destroyed, the look on Centrius' face dispelled it. A sense of finality washed over him, far different from the sort of heartbreak that left a person pining for reconciliation or a second chance. Depression out of nowhere and without a prior history of it, despair replacing hope instantaneously, all of it written in the eyes of a person who didn't even bother chasing after her.

"Okay...okay," he whispered, downcast eyes no longer able to meet her glare. "I'm...so sorry...then."

Beyond words, she ripped her handbag open with trembling hands and pulled out the red tag. The number seventeen fluttered in between them as she cast the tag to the ground, not even bothering to take it back to the restaurant. Self hatred reared its ugly head inside of her, screaming for her to stop, to take it all back, to hug him and tell him she didn't mean any of it, but the darker side of her screaming that she meant all of it had control. Her nerves were too frazzled for her to think,mane that shrill, more aggressive voice reigned supreme, biting her forelock so hard that she didn't even look back at him when she cast her blink spell.

Teleporting in bursts across town, she cast until her energy was completely sapped and then cast it twice more, harming herself with manaburn to the point that she wanted to vomit. The walls she'd built so carefully over the years came crashing down, erasing any significant difference between her hope and fear as the entirety of her psyche was crushed, all the while lamenting on how she deserved it either way.