Faith
Talia
My hands unconsciously fisted in the bedsheets as I wrestled with the bitter realization of just how cavalier I'd been about her mortality all this time. Looking at this fragile, luminous soul before me, how dare I have indulged such blinkered complacency? She deserved so much more than my abject failure as a guardian.
"Rubes..." I croaked, throat arid with self-loathing. "Why didn't you… I'm sorry Rubes, I...I should have been there, every step, instead of..."
My words disintegrated into a muffled, keening sound as hot moisture pricked my eyes. But Ruby didn't pull away or offer empty consolations. She simply reached out and clasped my hands in her slender, calloused fingers, holding my fracturing composure together through simple human touch.
When she spoke again, her tone held none of the bitterness or rebuke I deserved. Only that boundless compassion and gently chiding warmth that had so often steadied me over the years.
