In The Shadow of Love

Chapter 4: A Detour

"I can't believe you talked to Sebastian, I thought the point was to let him make his own reflections and improve." Ominis grumbled as they walked back to the house from Feldcroft. He wasn't at all happy with Diane, who sighed in frustration at his ire.

"Isolating him completely won't help him, Ominis. I understand why you don't want to talk to him, but he needs some normalcy." She said softly, letting out a sound of alarm when Ominis stumbled on a root because he wasn't paying attention enough to his footing. She rushed forward as he caught himself, hearing him cursing quietly under his breath. He recovered quickly, walking forward again as if nothing had happened.

"Ominis." She tried to get his attention, but he was all but storming forward down the path, too quickly for him to be paying much attention. "Ominis!" She shouted his name angrily, at which point he did stop, his shoulders tense as he waited for her.

"Why are you so angry? It's not like I betrayed you, I just spoke with Sebastian." Diane huffed, wanting to know why he was so upset with her.

Ominis was silent for a moment before he turned back around to face her. "Last time you humored him, he only got worse. You're making the same mistake again, and it makes me angry." He said in a tight tone.

"I'm not humoring him, Ominis." Diane sighed in frustration. "I'm trying to give him an anchor. Don't forget that I'm angry with him, too."

"You're not showing it." He grumbled, his expression dark.

"The way I see it, if we isolate him completely, he may just turn bitter and never understand what he's done. Why risk that? Why not give him at least a lifeline? He can have a chance to work toward getting back to normal."

Ominis went quiet and let out a small sound of annoyance. "So you'll keep talking to him, then?"

"Only a bit. Not like it used to be." She said sadly. "Not until he's shown he understands what he did wrong."

Ominis seemed to soften from her tone, running a hand at the back of his neck as he attempted to cool down. "You're too nice, Diane."

"Yeah, I know." She sighed, knowing it was actually a fault of hers sometimes.

"He's just going to manipulate you again." He insisted.

"He can try. But he won't. I didn't tell him I'm living with you, nor where I'm staying. For all he knows I'm staying in the castle."

"If he sees me, he'll connect the dots." He shook his head. "This is risky. It's dangerous. It could undo everything we did when we cut him off. It's for his own good."

"I can't ignore him, Ominis. Not completely. I just can't. It's too cruel." Diane felt her voice wavering with emotion, and she wrapped her arms around herself to try and calm down.

"Diane." Ominis frowned uneasily. "Are you... crying?" He walked toward her, but hesitated a few feet away.

"No." Diane huffed, turning away from him. "I'm just... you two are really important to me, and this is really painful. I've tried to be strong through it, but..." she trailed off, not really knowing what to say.

Ominis let out a long weary sound, slumping his shoulders as he ran a hand over his face in frustration. "I... didn't realize you were feeling that way."

"I hide it well." She admitted.

"Well, you shouldn't. Not with me, at least." He crossed his arms, looking as if he was scolding her. "We're friends, you should feel comfortable talking to me about these things."

"I know, but it's easier said than done." She said softly. "I'm not used to... showing what I really feel."

His eyes widened in realization. "Is that why you're always so cheerful?"

Diane didn't like admitting it, but the silence between them spoke more than words could.

"Come on." He started walking in a different direction suddenly, catching Diane off guard. She watched him walk up another path, the opposite direction from the house.

"Where are you going? Ominis the sun will set soon." She said in confusion, but started following him.

"Will it? Good." He said firmly, leading them further up the path as it slopes upwards. She didn't know where he was leading her, or where they were going, but she could smell the ocean.

When Ominis finally stopped it was at the edge of the shoreline, a few yards from a steep cliff that splashed ocean water into the air. The breeze was crisp, mist quickly covering them as a wave splashed upwards.

"Anne and Sebastian brought me to this spot when we first started school. I wasn't nearly as talkative back then, nor as sure in my views. Sebastian is important to me too," he looked out over the empty expanse he saw beyond the cliff. It had terrified him when they'd first arrived. Now it was somehow resssuring. "He showed me how to open up, and how to make friends. It's why I'm so damn upset that he's done this, that he's throwing all of that away over something that can't be changed no matter how much he tries. He killed his own uncle, for gods sake." He shook his head in dismay. The mist across their skin luckily hid any tears as he took a shaky breath.

"You're not the only one hurting from this, Diane. So don't think you're alone." He said, staring off into the expanse.

Diane bit her lip gently, before making a decision.

"Ominis, can you please open your arms?" Diane asked in a gentle voice.

"What? Why would I do that?" He said in confusion, though he did open his arms regardless of the protest.

When Diane walked up and hugged him she could feel him tense against her. He was taut, standing straight and not moving a muscle.

"What are you doing?" He said quietly, his voice uneasy.

"Hugging you, obviously." Diane scoffed.

There was a long silence, and it looked like Ominis was struggling with his emotions. "Why?"

"Because you're hurting, and I don't like to see you so upset." Diane said simply, tightening the hug a bit to reassure him.

Ominis suddenly sagged within her grip, a long breath whooshing out of him as if something was escaping him. He was still silent, before he slowly wrapped one arm around her, his touch light and uneasy. The light hug in return made Diane smile happily, because it was a big step toward him being more open. He needed this, and he'd probably need more hugs in the future. So did she.

"There, feel a bit better now?" Diane moved back, chuckling as Ominis nearly staggered as if having a hard time standing without the support.

"You're such a hufflepuff." He grumbled, trying not to look flustered about what had just happened, but didn't realize his cheeks had darkened with a blush. Diane smiled and looked over the sky as the sun set over the ocean, the scene breathtaking as she stood beside him.

He looked back over the dark expanse he saw, softly asking "Can you describe it?"

Diane looked to Ominis in surprise, because he'd never asked something like that before. She smiled warmly and looked back out at the sky. "As the sun sets it makes bright colors come across the sky. The blue sky turns pinks, purples, oranges, and the sun dips down on the horizon. The ocean is reflecting the light from the sunset and making everything look like it's glittering." She let out a happy sigh. "It's really beautiful."

Ominis tried to imagine it, but it was difficult. He didn't know what those colors were, nor what glitter looked like. But he was glad Diane thought it looked pretty. He didn't like seeing her upset, either.

"After the sun sets we'll head back. No rush." He said gently, deciding to risk raising his wand closer to her while she was distracted by the sight. Her curls were waving gently in the breeze from the ocean, her expression serene as she looked out over the ocean.

He lowered his wand again, and for the first time in many years he wished he could actually see, if only to know what the colors were when she had described them. It was a ridiculous, irrational wish, one that surprised him even popped into his head. It was enough just to hear her describe it, to see the way she looked out over the cliff with such a gentle expression. It was nice to be around someone who didn't care what family he came from, that he was blind or what his heritage was.