Eight Intertwined

141 - Morality

Therion stared at the blonde woman near the entrance to the cathedral for a long time, not sure about what he was supposed to do or think about all of this. Tressa stood beside him, a small frown on her face for similar reasons. Primrose didn't hesitate in the same way though, instead just walking up to the woman and sitting down on the bench beside her with a smile. "I hope you don't mind me sitting here," Primrose greeted. "What's your name?"

The woman looked over to Primrose with wide eyes before she replied, a sad smile on her face. "I'm Flora," she said. "It's nice to meet you, miss...?"

"Primrose," the dancer finished for her. "I couldn't help but notice you were sitting here on your own, and I thought I might be able to rectify that. Have you thought much about romance?"

The woman didn't even take a moment to consider just how strange the question was coming from a stranger. Instead, she just let out a heavy sigh. "The truth is... I feel like I've always been waiting to meet my other half. I know he'll have a good heart... I'm just waiting for him to appear," Flora explained. 

Therion could already see where this was going, and he couldn't help sigh to himself. He didn't know how Primrose could be so confident about all of this. He wouldn't be caught dead walking up to a stranger and asking her for her thoughts on romance. He far preferred keeping facts like this private, though he supposed that part of Primrose's charm came from her being so willing to push herself in a place where she didn't seem to belong at a first glance. He wasn't going to ask too many questions about it mostly since he knew he would just end up inviting her teasing if he tried. 

Primrose didn't care at all about Therion's judgement though. Instead, she just gestured over to where Alphas was standing nearby. "I believe I may have the perfect person for you," she told Flora. "He wrote a lovely poem I'm certain you would like to see. He's been searching for the love of his life too, and I think you might just fit the bill." With that, she passed the poem over to Flora, and the woman began to read it softly. 

"Thou art the other half that makes me whole...

My perfect piece, what was missing from my soul.

When I think of thee, strength flows through me. 

My sword exists only to protect thee."

Despite himself, Therion had to wonder just what it would be like to have someone feel like that about him. Even if he was the one doing the protecting, he would have been fine with that. The last time anyone had told Therion they loved him romantically, it had been Darius, and Therion had soon discovered that he couldn't place his faith in him at all. Darius had been using him for his own ends, and Therion had been too much of a fool to see it until it was too late. 

But maybe that wasn't what was always waiting for him in the world of love. Maybe it would be alright if he talked to Alfyn about all of this. Therion had been alone for a long time, and the idea of having someone else he could rely on romantically... It captivated him far more than he wanted to admit. Alfyn was a great person, and if there was anyone who Therion could trust to fill that hole in his heart, it would have been him. 

And then there was Miguel. 

Therion wanted to be able to declare without a shadow of a doubt that he didn't care about Miguel. It would have been so simple, at least in theory, but he couldn't bring himself to believe it. Miguel didn't matter. He was just a patient. Alfyn didn't talk to Miguel the same way he spoke to Therion. It was ridiculous to get jealous of someone who wouldn't matter in the long run. Once the group left Saintsbridge, Miguel would just be a memory. What about him would really impact Therion's life?

In all honesty, the thief wanted to brush his insecurities off as just that. Instead, he found himself overwhelmingly scared that he was making a bad decision by not asking questions. Miguel still hadn't explained where he got those injuries Alfyn had treated him for. Someone didn't just accidentally end up stabbed to the point of their muscles starting to show through the wound. Therion had been in a similarly horrible position after Darius pushed him off the cliff, and he had only been saved because of Aeber deciding to take mercy on him. There must have been a reason for Miguel to end up so heavily injured when the travelers found him too.