[ Tighnari's words only distantly reach Kaveh's conscious mind, but a deeper part of him clings to the stern-voiced call of his name, to the instructive tone of the words that follow, fingers tensing against his face but stopping at least the frantic, panicked searching as if something on his face or in his hair holds the cure to the way his heart is aching.
In through the nose. Out through the mouth. Slow breaths that stutter and shatter into faster gasps, sobs, forcing him to start over: In. Out. In. Out.
In. ] S-Sorry. [ Out. ] I'm— I'm okay.
[ And he sits for a few moments, silent except the slow, ragged sound of his breathing, Tighnari's words sinking in moment by moment, letter by letter. If the situations had been reversed— if Tighnari had been the one whose father had been lost—
The shake of his head is slow, hesitant— but it's real. ]
No. [ His voice is a whisper. ] I wouldn't blame you.
no subject
In through the nose. Out through the mouth. Slow breaths that stutter and shatter into faster gasps, sobs, forcing him to start over: In. Out. In. Out.
In. ] S-Sorry. [ Out. ] I'm— I'm okay.
[ And he sits for a few moments, silent except the slow, ragged sound of his breathing, Tighnari's words sinking in moment by moment, letter by letter. If the situations had been reversed— if Tighnari had been the one whose father had been lost—
The shake of his head is slow, hesitant— but it's real. ]
No. [ His voice is a whisper. ] I wouldn't blame you.