[She fidgets, watching as he doesn't drink the water, and then looking carefully at his face.]
...I'm really glad you kept yourself safe, Ion.
[Her voice is very, very small. She should have been the one to be keeping him safe - but she's never done a very good job of that. Not in Auldrant, and then she'd vanished from here and Asch had been doing her job so much better than she was... if anyone else had been his guardian, would he have survived Mount Zaleho? She'd had a lot of time to think about that during her sojourn there.]
[Ion sighs, his voice becoming soft and gentle along with his expression. With one hand, he reaches out to take hers, wrapping it carefully around hers and squeezing it gently. For a long moment he doesn't finish his sentence. In truth, he's not completely sure what he wanted to finish it with. But then his mouth turns upward in the faintest of smiles.]
[She grips his hand tightly when he takes hers - maybe too tightly. It feels almost impossible, for her to be holding his hand here and now when she knows on Auldrant he's gone and it's her fault and...
Her eyes fill with tears but, aside from ducking her head a little so they're not so obvious for Ion or anyone else in the cafeteria to see, she ignores them.]
[Understanding Anise better than anyone else, maybe even better than herself, Ion doesn't comment on her tears. He lets her have that, her vulnerability and her privacy. All that matters is that he's there for her, that their hands are joined. That no matter what happens to either of them and no matter where they may go, he'll be there for her.]
Neither of us has to worry anymore, now that we're back together. [He smiles more brightly, that optimism she's so used to.] I feel safer already.
[The optimism she's so used to is exactly what makes her choke up with guilt - how can he feel safer already, when she's the one who gets him killed on Auldrant? When even her efforts here in the Tower hadn't been enough to keep him from harm?]
Yeah? [That's not a good thing. It's an awful thing for Ion to feel safe around her, even though his safety is the one thing she really, truly wants to guarantee.] I'm... I'm glad. [She smiles, but the smile doesn't reach her eyes.] I'm gonna do my best to protect you, Ion.
[...but she wonders if her best will be good enough.]
[The serious tone in his voice beats back her argument - It's my job to protect you, not the other way around - and she can't help but stare at him for a few moments. ...then she smiles. If he's got this sort of strength and conviction - it's possible, isn't it? That he might survive, even if she's around and putting him in danger?]
...you've gotten so strong. I've always thought you were amazing, but it seems like you've gotten even braver since I left.
[Ion laughs gently and shakes his head. His smile stays, but there's a hint of something sad--or maybe not quite sad but distressed--behind his eyes.]
Oh, no, not at all. I wish I have...but so many things have happened. I'm afraid I feel much the same as I did when you first arrived. But now that you're back...
[Well, he had something to fight for again. That was reason enough to start dragging himself out of bed and putting on a hopeful face. It wasn't much, but maybe it could help. If not the other residents, than Anise, at least.]
...now that I'm back, you're just gonna keep getting even stronger.
[Because, while she wasn't able to save her Auldrant's Ion - and she knows that Ion is from his own version of Auldrant, that hers is gone, maybe forever - maybe she can do something for him. Maybe, if she can help him here, if he gets stronger and if she can find the courage to warn him, his death in his own world won't be inevitable.
It won't ever make up for what she did, but if she can just save him...]
...and you can talk to me about anything, okay? Even about things I wasn't here for. I'll listen, if you want to talk.
[It's nice to see her looking like her old self. All that's missing is the scheming grin she gets when she's thinking about seducing a duke. It makes Ion smile wider, and he nods with a light laugh.]
Yes. We both will. And I know, Anise.
[He takes her other hand, leaving the glass of water temporarily abandoned.]
I hope you don't forget that the same goes for you, as well. I'm not the Fon Master here...but I am your friend. That won't change, no matter what.
[She stares at him when he takes her hand and - wow. Jeeze, Ion. If only she could get some wealthy duke to hold her hands like this.]
...no matter what, huh? [She smiles faintly. She wonders if he would say that if he knew it was her fault he was going to die.] Y'know, sometimes I think you're a little too trusting...
[She says his name a little urgently, her brows creasing as she pouts.]
That's - that's not... you really should be a little more careful about who you do and don't trust. What if it's someone close to you who can't be trusted?
But what if something really, really bad happened to you because of what they were hiding?
[Just because he wouldn't blame the person keeping secrets from him didn't make it any more right.]
If you could avoid it by being more careful... [She keeps her eyes on their hands, not on him, because she has trouble raising her gaze to his face.] ...shouldn't you do that?
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[She fidgets, watching as he doesn't drink the water, and then looking carefully at his face.]
...I'm really glad you kept yourself safe, Ion.
[Her voice is very, very small. She should have been the one to be keeping him safe - but she's never done a very good job of that. Not in Auldrant, and then she'd vanished from here and Asch had been doing her job so much better than she was... if anyone else had been his guardian, would he have survived Mount Zaleho? She'd had a lot of time to think about that during her sojourn there.]
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[Ion sighs, his voice becoming soft and gentle along with his expression. With one hand, he reaches out to take hers, wrapping it carefully around hers and squeezing it gently. For a long moment he doesn't finish his sentence. In truth, he's not completely sure what he wanted to finish it with. But then his mouth turns upward in the faintest of smiles.]
I missed you.
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Her eyes fill with tears but, aside from ducking her head a little so they're not so obvious for Ion or anyone else in the cafeteria to see, she ignores them.]
I missed you, too...
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Neither of us has to worry anymore, now that we're back together. [He smiles more brightly, that optimism she's so used to.] I feel safer already.
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Yeah? [That's not a good thing. It's an awful thing for Ion to feel safe around her, even though his safety is the one thing she really, truly wants to guarantee.] I'm... I'm glad. [She smiles, but the smile doesn't reach her eyes.] I'm gonna do my best to protect you, Ion.
[...but she wonders if her best will be good enough.]
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[Although he still regards her gently, there's something serious in his voice. It's not a question. It's a fact he doesn't intend to have argued.]
And I'm going to protect you, too, Anise. The next time you see Auldrant again, it won't be empty. It will be home.
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[The serious tone in his voice beats back her argument - It's my job to protect you, not the other way around - and she can't help but stare at him for a few moments. ...then she smiles. If he's got this sort of strength and conviction - it's possible, isn't it? That he might survive, even if she's around and putting him in danger?]
...you've gotten so strong. I've always thought you were amazing, but it seems like you've gotten even braver since I left.
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Oh, no, not at all. I wish I have...but so many things have happened. I'm afraid I feel much the same as I did when you first arrived. But now that you're back...
[Well, he had something to fight for again. That was reason enough to start dragging himself out of bed and putting on a hopeful face. It wasn't much, but maybe it could help. If not the other residents, than Anise, at least.]
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[Because, while she wasn't able to save her Auldrant's Ion - and she knows that Ion is from his own version of Auldrant, that hers is gone, maybe forever - maybe she can do something for him. Maybe, if she can help him here, if he gets stronger and if she can find the courage to warn him, his death in his own world won't be inevitable.
It won't ever make up for what she did, but if she can just save him...]
...and you can talk to me about anything, okay? Even about things I wasn't here for. I'll listen, if you want to talk.
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Yes. We both will. And I know, Anise.
[He takes her other hand, leaving the glass of water temporarily abandoned.]
I hope you don't forget that the same goes for you, as well. I'm not the Fon Master here...but I am your friend. That won't change, no matter what.
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...no matter what, huh? [She smiles faintly. She wonders if he would say that if he knew it was her fault he was going to die.] Y'know, sometimes I think you're a little too trusting...
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Maybe, but I don't mind. I've met so many wonderful people that way.
[He was willing to pay the price if his trust got him into trouble. And surely it would. As they both knew--Anise with far more finality.]
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[She says his name a little urgently, her brows creasing as she pouts.]
That's - that's not... you really should be a little more careful about who you do and don't trust. What if it's someone close to you who can't be trusted?
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If someone close to me is keeping something from me, I'm sure it must be for a good reason. I couldn't possibly blame someone for that.
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[Just because he wouldn't blame the person keeping secrets from him didn't make it any more right.]
If you could avoid it by being more careful... [She keeps her eyes on their hands, not on him, because she has trouble raising her gaze to his face.] ...shouldn't you do that?