Things Lost and Found (a Waglington and Mianite fanfiction)

Chapter 82

Sorry for changing the chapter numbering after publishing. :P My 10 pm self somehow thought the tone of this part and the tone of what is now Chapter 83 went together. *shakes head in shame*

The dialogue is in places heavily based off of the finale. I remixed it a bit to make certain points more clear.  

Warning: feels (I started crying while writing the beginning)

*Waglington's POV*

Dianite talked to my friends, even greeting Alroy and my fellow wizards. While conversation swirled around the platform like water eddies around rocks, I was an island in the current. I only had attention for one. From what I felt across our mental link, Martha was torn up worse than I had ever been. In her dolor, she had let her emotions overflow to our connection. I supposed that was a good thing, given how she tended to shut her emotions away when overwhelmed. I hovered a few feet away from where Martha mourned for Steve. I didn't know how to comfort her this time or if that comfort would even be welcomed. The only thing I knew for certain was that I would be there if she needed me. Memento and I endured the waves of so woe and loss as they slowly ebbed, letting my own pain on her behalf drift back across the link to keep her from ever believing she was alone.

When her sorrow began to morph into self loathing and blame, I couldn't hold my silence any longer. Martha, none of this was your fault, I said firmly but trying to keep my tone gentle all the same. Steve chose this, and he wouldn't want you to put yourself down over it. Even Dianite wouldn't have been able to change his mind once it was made up. Steve's stubbornness could make a mule look like a spirit broken nag by comparison. Martha had tried to talk him out of leaving often enough to know this like she knew he loved her, in his own way.

I felt those negative emotions retreat marginally, but they didn't disappear. That worried me. A wizard having an emotional breakdown was dangerous enough. Martha was a goddess now. As she grieved, a petrifying thought took root in my mind. Ianite fell to her inner demon—the Taint—when overwhelmed by the loss of her husband. Sparklez and Martha had been able to help Ianite shake off her darkness. What if Martha fell, and I couldn't do the same for her? Martha suffering from a similar weakness was fast becoming my greatest fear.

I tried to keep this fear to myself, but Martha wasn't the only one letting more than they meant across their mental link. I felt her withdrawing from our connection. I'll survive, Waggles; don't worry. I don't intend to wall my heart off again. I could tell she felt bad about letting her grief affect me before she broke our connection, leaving me with only my own emotions to weather.

Memento shook as if he could physically clear his mind, and I just stopped myself before imitating the behavior. Memento laughed at me then stretched. She's a young goddess still. She'll learn how to use her claws in time and how to sheath them, Memento said sagely. I gave him a puzzled look before I figured out he was comparing her powers—including her mental ones—to a feline's claws. Appropriate, I supposed. Memento walked closer to Martha and sat to groom himself. I'll watch her for you. Go see what your friends are up to.

Thanks, Memento, I said with a grin.

Thus unburdened, I allowed myself to concentrate on the dialogue around me. Dianite was standing with my friends, discussing family. I didn't have time to ponder how they'd gotten on the topic before Tom asked one of his signature, random questions, "Ooh! Can I be your son?" He even went so far as to jump up and down like Ianita begging for a piece of candy.

Jordan, Sonja, and Tucker laughed, and I let out a chuckle myself. I swear sometimes he has all the energy of a five year old.

And the attention span of one! Memento chimed in.