#shepherdiing

Alisha wasn’t sure what made her leave the safety of the Knights barracks and the pleasure of Sergei’s conversation that night in Lastonbell until she came across Sorey and Rose just leaving for the forest.

They stop talking when they see her and although Alisha cannot hear the lapsed conversation of the seraphim she can feel the weight of their sudden silence as it encompasses her.

She hadn’t wanted to make them worry. She had just wanted to say goodbye.

“Are you… leaving?”

She manages to get this out and is met with a sheepish smile from Sorey and a brisk nod from Rose in response.

“Yes,” the Shepherd says at the same time his Squire murmurs a quick “yup” and the two can’t help but laugh. Alisha smiles too.

This is what she had wanted all along - to see them like this, but instead she had just caused their party such trouble.

The realization of how poorly she had handled Lady Maltran erases the smile from her face and her regret slips into her stomach like a stone.

“I wish you good luck,” she says and steps closer despite herself. Rose has such an intelligent glint in her eye in that moment and Alisha is suddenly thankful the woman wasn’t there to see her embarrassing display in Bors Ruins.

What she was about to do was embarrassing enough, and yet… if it could make up for her behavior at all -

if it could deliver her own paltry blessing -

then please, she thought as she stood to her full height and leaned forward on her toes to place her lips just for a moment on Sorey’s forehead.

She stood back, recognizing his startled expression and (while trying to ignore what appeared to be the exchanging of gald between Rose and some invisible force), forced herself to look him in the eyes.

“Be safe,” she urged, hands over her heart. She paused and before she could change her mind drew the flower from her hair, placing it in Sorey’s hand. He finally focused on her again as his grip closed almost automatically over her gift.

“That is my last request of you, Shepherd. Please, all of you, be safe.”