He wonders when, exactly, he should intervene, or if he should remain quiet and let his friend pour her thoughts out to him uninterrupted. He chooses the latter, his eyes locked on her expression as his body goes through the motions of everything she'd taught him. One could say he's captivated by the minute differences in Azura's expressions, in her eyes; it's like rivers carving paths through rock, how her determination is shining through the uncertainty.
I should have never let you go.
He understands quickly, then, what moment she speaks of. A farewell, a surprising reunion, and the feelings that had been thrown around in the midst of it all. You're very dear to me had been the only way he'd had to articulate what he felt. It held true, even now, but he knew better, too. It had been well-meaning, that rejection, but also born out of fear. Kingu would never describe himself as kind, and kindness is what she'd claimed to have fallen for. That he couldn't live up to it, after what his life had been like, had been such a real possibility...
He twirls her then, stopping with her back to his chest as he pulls her closer, his fingers intertwining with hers. She's certain, she says, and he can't help the playful scoff that escapes him. That they had both been afraid now seemed so wasteful, though perhaps necessary. He gives them both a moment to steel themselves, away from each other's gaze, as he leans down slightly to whisper in her ear.
"Will you speak it, then? This truth you're certain of, but were afraid to voice?" His own voice is quiet, gentle, reassuring even. She's being brave, Kingu recognizes that, and maybe that's why he speaks up in kind. "I told you then, that I did not wish for your feelings to not be reciprocated in full. I must admit, I did not understand. The depths of your feelings, or mine, so please..." Perhaps he could say more, but Azura has taken the spotlight, and he will not take it from her. His one hope is that his words quell what little unease might remain in her.
And he waits for a sign that they are both ready before he brings them face to face once more with a delicate caress of her cheek. How odd, his core thrums with expectation, but Kingu's not sure he's ever felt quite so at peace.