"Apology-" Tavra/Onica
Onica walks slowly away from the dying fire, her mind an impossible swirl of emotions that steal the words from her mouth. She cradles the little creature in her hands as though it’s a precious thing made of glass, and in a way it is. She still doesn’t quite believe it.
“I’m sorry,” comes Tavra’s voice. It would seem ghostly if she didn’t know where it was coming from. In a way, it still does- it’s a voice she never thought she would hear again.
She sits against a tree, letting the tiny body housing Tavra’s soul crawl onto her knee. “Why?”
It is impossible to discern an expression on its face in the dark, but it shrinks and curls in on itself, and the voice is full of regret. “I promised to come back to you.”
For a moment, Onica is silent. There is so much she could say- how her far-dreams had turned dark and dreadful and left her trembling when she returned to the present. How her heart had slowly dropped as she had wandered through the raucous celebration after the Skeksis’ defeat, searching, still clinging to hope even as it had slipped away. How it had broken, when Seladon had taken her aside with pity and guilt in her eyes and confirmed her fears.
So much is uncertain. She still may never see Tavra’s face- at least the one she remembers- again. They may be like this for the rest of their lives.
It doesn’t matter.
She shakes her head. When she speaks, it is barely a whisper, rough with the beginnings of tears.
“You came back to me.”