» Together

He follows the others: a shadow stepping lightly in their wake, no longer dark but edged in gold. Light filters softly from his coat, casting an aura onto the damp earth. Triumphant, but the triumph bleeds from him as he leaves the golden flowers behind. It was not truly his task. It is not truly his triumph. He has still so many miles to go. Subdued, he arrives in the meeting place. Alert, again: dark eyes scanning the gathered faces. Some he recognizes! He stands well away from the pale girl with the spear. Thinks he glimpses Kiada elsewhere in the crowd. But he lingers in the shadows of K'yarie and Waker, the nearest things to allies he still has. And he thinks, he's happy for them, even if in his heart he still aches for himself. Seiji accepts his adornments with grace: glitter scattered over his withers and back, over the narrow lines of his face. A quick smile brightens his gaze despite the situation, but then he turns to call a certain name, to make a certain joke, and the words are dead in his mouth. The one he wants to call for isn't present. He shouldn't allow himself to be too caught up - he has a task. So he follows the others, a thing apart.

img by Tildae @ flickr