#threefled

astrid has a few ways that she refers to her brother:   zig,   z,   and zag,    among other random nicknames that she might come up with occasionally.   she tends to use   “   zig   ”   in moments of seriousness,   or when trying to get his attention,   or in moments of needing to remind him of his own humanity.   “   z   ”   is a general nickname,   usually used around other people.   “   zag   ”   is for when she’s in a playful mood,   and she specifically uses this to clue zig in that she’s teasing,   because she knows sometimes that can get lost in translation for him.   

❝ that’s an interesting name, ❞  she can’t help it. she’s nosy. always has been, probably always will be. plus, it’s almost impossible for her to keep comments to herself.  ❝ is it short for something? zigothy? zigmund? ❞          /          @threefled​ ! 

today is a bad day.   they both have them from time to time,   when the lines of what is true and what has been drilled into them are blurry.   she swallows thickly,   the heavy weight of guilt making it feel almost impossible to breathe.   “   ---   zig,   ”   she starts,   moving so that she’s in her brother’s direct line of sight,   so he has nowhere to look but in her eyes,   “   i didn’t want to leave you.   ”   but she still had,   and there’s no changing that now.   “   you told me to GO,   ”   she reminds him,   voice cracking on that final word.   clearing her throat,   her expression turns fierce with the force of her loyalty,   “   but i came back for you,   i was ALWAYS going to come back for you.   and now we’re both out.   i would NEVER leave you to die.   ”

she sighs,   knowing it’s not worth the fight since he’s already made up his mind,   but still feeling that ONE of them needed to be a voice of REASON.   “   when you’re on the run and trying to keep a low profile,   you do.   ”   whether or not he wants to hear that,   it’s the truth.   she glances from him to the scene,   frown deepening.   “   when it was just me,   i HAD to pick and choose.   of course i wanted to help more people,   but sometimes the risk is too high.   ”   despite all of her warnings though,   she’d never let him do it alone.   glancing back to him,   a slight quirk upwards to her lips softens the frown.   there’s caution in her tone still, but it’s lighter too as she then dips her head toward the scene.   “   we have to be CAREFUL this time.   ”

she laughs softly,   accepting the proffered water bottle and taking a sip.   “   if you’re telling me to take care of myself,   then i must be in pretty rough shape.   ”   if she were honest,   the lack of sleep and constant movement has been wearing on her,   but they need to put as much distance between themselves and the city as they can.   and they couldn’t have risked picking up a car and being caught on any sort of traffic camera.   the mountains are still around them as she leans against a mossy tree,   taking another sip of the water before passing it back to her brother.   “   you should hydrate,   too.   we’ll probably need to sleep tonight,    so we need to get as far north as we can before it gets dark.   ”