That…hurt. He felt her flinch away from him as his slightest touch. A moment of his own pain flickers across his face before disappearing behind his eyes. He didn’t realize how much that might hurt until it happened. That’s usually how it had gone in his past. You never knew just how much something could hurt until you experienced it firsthand. Seeing Beth, the most important woman to him, flinch away from his was almost like a physical slap. He kept his hands where there were however, even though the action hurt. He looked away from her for only long enough to pull a stool over next to the chair so he could sit next to her. He didn’t ask exactly what happened, he knew it had to be bad just from the look on her face. He guessed that she couldn’t tell him either. He wouldn’t want her to lie to him over something like this.
“We both have.” His words held their own steely edge to them as he met her gaze. “You have to be I suppose, but you would be regardless. Like I said. I know how you are.” He searched that gaze of hers as he spoke. He believed in the Maker, it was his faith in his followers that was lacking. He hoped there was a reason for it. He had some faith that there would be. She was alive, and even if neither of them had an inkling just why they were he was still grateful for it.
He felt her fingers curl over and around his, and slowly he relaxed. He hadn’t realized how tense he had been. He didn’t know if Beth would pull away from him once again, but the acceptance of her hand on his brought a slow relaxation to his taunt muscles. His own fingers curled back around hers, the slight pressure against hers a reassurance. “I haven’t heard.” he confirmed. Aurin paused though as he let her words sink in. His eyes closed slowly before he nodded once, a short tense reaction. “Its…as I thought would happen. You and Alderic are both Wardens now, and you both know each other and work well together. Since I am the other Templar that I know of that will be going with you, it just wouldn’t make sense to put us both in the same group.” His words were quiet, full of logic. There was acceptance there, but there was disappointment as well. It was easily seen in his gaze and in the way he smiled. “I’m glad that you’ll be with Alderic though, perhaps Dee will be with you as well. I trust those two.” A handful of heartbeats passed before he continued. “I’m glad I found out from you, though.”
He paused for just a moment before he added a question. “Where?”