#syeah

They make their way back to their camp. A small tent for each of them are positioned around the now-extinguished fire. Kirezi announces she’s hitting the sack and a loud thud can be heard almost as soon as she's opened the flap. A few short moments after, her deep snores permeate the air.

Holly sorts her belongings into the proper areas in her pack, ready to make an early departure in the morning for whatever might come her way. Robin fusses with something in a pack as well, but silence in his direction tells her he's stopped moving. Holly notices. In the low light, she can see he seems to be deep in thought about something.

"Hey, Robin...about earlier..." she attempts, suddenly aware her breath is shallow. Her nervousness is new, and it surprises her. She instantly thinks herself stupid. Why should she care how it comes out, when he clearly can't be trusted to care what anyone thinks, much less her, especially after his display about an hour ago. Maybe it was more that she doesn't want to know the answer. She asks anyway.

“Mmm?” He replies dreamily.

“What did you mean by…how you’d never return? Did you mean that?” He looks over in her direction. “Oh?” He replies a little too innocently, and she half expected a sarcastic quip to follow. But it never comes. Instead, he turns toward her in the darkness, a shadow in the moonlight. “Did it bother you?” he asks softly. Even though she cannot see him clearly, she knows he's searching her expressions even now. She decides not to think about it.

She sees no reason to lie. “Of course it did! How can you say something like that? Don't you know how important you are to us?"

“I see,” is all he says.

“You won’t leave us, will you?”

He says nothing, but she can see a dark shape slowly coming toward her in the moonlit darkness. Soon he’s close enough for his features to be seen. She feels his familiar hand on the side of her face. Earlier she would have paid money to slap him like this, but now the air between them is calm, serene, almost sorrowful.

"Don't worry," he says simply. "But it's nice to hear you say that." He adds, smiling weakly. She detects a hint of sadness in his voice she doesn’t understand. He turns away and calls after her, "Get some rest, okay? Big day." and disappears.