Jerry
At a small oasis in the desert, under the scorching Rhakotian sun, the Champion of Elira finally completely let go. She nigh on ran, with shaky legs, to a gazebo in the center of the spot of green and blue, throwing herself at the feet of the statue enshrined there. The pure shock and exertion of running here had temporarily stoppered her grief. But the adrenaline wore off, and her racing mind was a mash of tangled things she couldn't begin to unwind. The sheer impossibility of it all ignited her rage for a moment, but it immediately dissolved into deep despair accompanied by intense sobbing that left her gasping for air. Each inhale brought the coppery scent of innocent blood that covered her, and she punched the stone floor with her scarred hand, uncaring of the pain that then bloomed there.

Though this was a favorite spot for her, there was only one other visit that now stood out in her mind. She recalled the rage at finding out that she was carrying that monster's child, after everything he'd done to her... The hopelessness that it was something she could move beyond... The desperation to just make it all go away. She didn't want to die, at least, in this current moment. But as she recalled the looks of horror, the words of accusation, from *Her* People, she did want to cease to exist. To just crawl under a rock and stop *Feeling*, stop *Thinking*. It was all such an overwhelming flood that she could only experience, she felt no control whatsoever to do anything about it.

What a fool she'd been to relax, to let down her guard. She'd been losing her touch before, but now that she had repaired things with Kairos, she had been hopeful it would all eventually come back to her. But it hadn't yet. It hadn't in *Time*. She cursed that wretched pirate bitch but once again the anger died in her throat. If she had been more careful, if she had paid more attention, if she hadn't been blinded by her rage... It was still her fault, in the end. She was tricked, but she should've seen that. One errant thought stuck out above all the others, above all the self-reproach beginning to consume her: *Has Elira abandoned me?*

Scrambling to sit up, she held her hands up in front of her face, trembling, as if that would tell her if her power remained. Doubling over with a wracking sob, she choked out, **"No... I have nothing without you, my lady, please..."** Nothing *Felt* Different, she didn't think she felt an absence of power, but... Things had been so terrible for so long, and now this... If not abandonment, perhaps a warning? It was hard for her to grasp that something so horrific could happen and not be some kind of punishment. Throwing herself at the feet of the statue again, she pleaded desperately through her tears, her voice whining and choking it out, **"What did I do to deserve this? I am ever yours, your tool, please, use me!"** Nothing. **"I know I can be arrogant, foolish, undiscerning at times, but I'm trying, I promise I'll get better!"** Still nothing.

The Champion of Elira, in her right mind, knew not to expect an answer, knew that the visits that had granted her the divine power she carried were an extreme rarity. But some part of her felt that if Elira answered her, in any way, it would be a sign, a confirmation, that her goddess hadn't forsaken her. The longer the silence stretched on, the more panicked she grew, feeling lightheaded from being unable to catch her breath through her violent crying. Slamming both fists down on the stones, tears streaming down her cheeks, she yelled, **"Tell me what to do, please! You've guided me my whole life, I'd be dead, and Sassan too, without you, please, please!! I don't know how to live without you!"** She'd thought that last momentous visit here was the most broken she'd ever been; she was wrong.
Robert
Kairos had just made it into Rhakotis, he had been traveling for a long while from Velaris. He had been at his cabin there for sometime rebuilding his forge and planning to revisit Amunet. He was glad they stumbled across one another within lestos during the battle and rekindled their relationship. When he made his way into the market nearby, Kairos had noticed Amunet and Sassan. He was planning to meet up with Amunet later and talk with her more in a better atmosphere, and seeing that the mother and son were having time to themselves he didn't want to interrupt. But he would stick nearby, look through what the market had to offer until they were done or noticed him and invited him over. 

After some time had passed he had bought a few materials that he would like to implement into his forge and try to forge weapons with. When he turned to hear some comotion, he noticed that Amunet was in a battle with what looked to be a pirate. He didn't want to intervene, but would make sure any citizens were safe in case the battle grew larger between the two. The Tidecaller didn't want to intervene because this fight wasn't his business and he knew Amunet was powerful and strong enough to fight on her own. As the fight progressed he watched carefully and wasn't able to see through smoke from his distance. The Stormborn didn't see what was going on until close to the very end when there were shouts and cries of murderer and traitor directed towards Amunet. Then he was able to see the scene of what had happened, to him it only seemed like the innocent woman got caught in the crossfire as he didn't see the whole scene. 
** **

When Amunet ran off, he followed her. The demigod clad in his black attire pursued the desert flower all the way to the Oasis. Befor he approached, The Tidcaller caught his breath and waited for Amunet to finish her plea to her God. If people were attempting to speak to their God, he never interrupted. After a little bit he softly approached Amunet, his soft footsteps could be heard. But before she could react, he knelt down and put a hand on her shoulder showing care. Showing that he was there for her in her worst moment. Kairos brought her up and gave her a tight hug. He wanted to be there for her, and not allow her to feel alone at this moment. 

"I'm here Amunet. I'm here for you. I'll be here no matter what, be by your side as you grieve through what happened."
Jerry
The soft footfalls behind her didn't register, another sign of how far gone she had become. Amunet tensed a moment at the hand on her shoulder before she recognized the touch. Continuing to sob, she initially let Kairos pull her close, sitting a bit woodenly in his arms, the shock of everything still too fresh. She heard his words, his smooth cool tone washing over her. But it didn't quite yet register. What arose initially from the complicated web of emotions first was fear.

The Wind Dancer had been brought up to put great stock in how others saw you, what they thought of you. It made this treachery a particularly heavy blow. But even more, she cared most what Kairos thought. She was *Sure* Now that she was being punished. This and the last meeting, her love kept seeing her at her worst. And while her rational mind knew that was ok, even preferable, she was terrified in this emotion-driven state. She couldn't bear to see any judgment in his face or scorn in his words. Hadn't they bonded over protecting the people? It made this seem even more unforgivable.

Gasps interspersed the crying as the Champion tried to push him away, strongly at first, wiggling and even pounding fists into his chest. But over the course of a few minutes of struggle, her resistance slowed and weakened until it stopped entirely. She merely trembled and snuggled in his arms a moment, before a small bit of sense returned, and she wrapped her arms aryhim, burying her face in his chest. Her words came out muffled and broken by struggling to catch her breath, **"I...** ***Killed*** **An innocent!! That** ***Bitch...*** **Tricked me!"** She pulled back slightly in his embrace, the first time she'd actually looked at his face, **"I'll never... Live it down. I'm ruined... Ruined!"** 

Burying her face in his chest again, the crying picking up anew, she choked out, **"I should've seen it was an illusion! I can't believe I didn't see! I'm afraid..."** Her crying suddenly stopped, her voice somewhat flat, **"Elira has abandoned me. I... I hoped, in coming here, she'd come, speak, send a sign, something... But there's nothing."** She wasn't coherent enough to realize that maybe, just maybe, the man holding her *Was* The sign. She'd forgotten her goddess' warnings and teachings. She was missing the beauty in the brokenness, and the opportunities it might create if she let it.
Robert
Kairos refused to let Amunet suffer alone in this, he was going to be by her side this entire time. Supporting her and helping her through it. Despite all the pulling and soft punches, he refused to let her go. Holding her tighter and resting his head ontop of hers, allowing her to cry as much as she needed. Letting it all out. He listened carefully to what she said about killing an innocent, and being tricked into doing it. His thoughts, care, and feelings of Amunet wouldn't change because of this, he wouldn't think of Amunet any different. The demigod knew that Amunet would never purposely kill an innocent, he had thought that the innocent lady was just caught in the crossfire. 

"If you were tricked, then what you had done was not purposeful. I wasn't able to see what exactly happened, but from my perspective what I think happened at the end was the lady mistakenly got caught in the crossfire. Maybe the person you were fighting purposely moved around when you couldn't see another to put someone between you two. You are **Not** Ruined. I'll never leave your side during this. I am here to help you. I won't allow you to believe you are ruined or that you are not a protector."

** **
He continued to hold her carefully, rocking side by side to comfort her. It hurt seeing Amunet so distraught. Looking down into her eyes whenever she looked up at him, a comforting and caring look on his face. Showing he was listening and would help her through this. When Amunet mentioned the reason she came here, for a sign or a message from her god she followed, he understood the pain in her voice. The gods were difficult to reach or hear from, he knew that first hand with being a demigod. Kairos began to wipe her tears away with his thumbs when she had stopped crying and gave her a soft kiss on her head.

"The gods are difficult to get signs or anything from. But I know she hasn't abandoned you. Maybe her sign or way of showing you aren't abandoned was sending someone who will always be by your side and help you through times like this. Who will comfort you through this extremely difficult time."

** **
Kairos hoped his words were true and comforting. He knew that Elira would never abandon her, she was the most loyal follower he had met. One incident that wasn't done on purpose wouldn't cause a shutout. Kairos didn't know entirely what else to say or do just yet at this moment besides being a shield for Amunet. Allow her to cry into him, and hold her close. Allow her to feel love, protection, and comfort. 

"I'm not leaving until you're ready to leave. I will spend however much time here with you until you feel like you're ready. I love you and I bet that Sassan still loves you also, and is also probably worried about you."
Jerry
Kairos' voice broke her out of her blank stupor, and she met his loving, kind gaze with eyes full of uncertainty and fear, wild in their emotion. His words floated around in her head but struggled to find purchase, and she continued to tremble slightly with the adrenaline and intensity of feelings. At the mention of the accident being purposefully constructed, her brows furrowed and she wanted nothing more than to gut that wench. But the burst of rage only served to confuse her more, and she buried her face in her love's chest, fists gripping his shirt tightly. Such rage had always lived somewhere deep inside her, but it had never before come to the surface like this. She was ashamed of her inability to tamp it down or channel it more appropriately. This *Wasn't* Who she was, wasn't who she *Wanted* To be.

Feeling somehow it was important to face him directly, she sat back up in his embrace, trying to meet his mismatched eyes as she spoke, but her gaze kept drifting away, **"Mistake or not, she's** ***Dead*** **, and her family, her friends, won't care about the why or the how... Only that she's gone... Only that I can be blamed."** Her usually full and confident voice was a ghost of itself, hoarse and raw from crying, small from sorrow. Trying to give him a small smile only made her eyes well up with unshed tears and a lump form in her throat. **"I don't know how to come back from this... I can't... I can't face my people."** She shook her head with vehemence. **"I can't go back, I can't, I can't..."** She just kept repeating the last two words in a desperate whisper for a moment, staring at him with wide eyes that looked past him, as if she was somewhere else.

Amunet held him close, allowing him to rock her. His gentle comfort was the only reason she wasn't vomiting what little was in her stomach or crying until she became completely numb. Embracing her so, he might notice more than he would've at their last meeting that she had lost weight, unnecessarily, another testament to her great and long-lasting distress. Taking deep breaths that had begun to steady some, though still shaky, she ventured to look at his face again. His utter acceptance and show of care was wonderful, slowly becoming the rock that would ground her. Initially, she nodded along to his words, knowing all too well how cryptic it could be trying to discern what the gods wanted; she knew he understood like few would, and it was indeed a comfort. But upon his suggestion that *He* Might be the sign from Elira, she stared at him in wide-eyed silence for several minutes.

It was a constant see-saw the Champion could never quite balance in her mind with the demigod, wrestling with his innate divinity. As such a faithful person herself, part of her couldn't accept or reconcile that she had won the affection and devotion of, more or less, a god. Kairos so often was very mortal, very normal with her, that it took a show of his power or an incredible nugget of wisdom shared for her to remember he was *Divine* Himself. She didn't believe she was really all that deserving of Elira's favor, in the first place, though she *Was* Proud of her faith and hard work. To add the eternal love of a demigod on top of it... She just couldn't comprehend...

But his words made sense, didn't they? The admonishments about her stubborn self-reliance that came directly from Elira crossed her mind; it was even part of why Elira claimed to bless her in the first place. On top of that were the words of priests and priestesses over the years, encouraging her to seek their counsel and support more, to not carry everything by herself. Could it be Elira had challenged her so because nothing else was getting through to her? To help her challenge one of her most harmful flaws? His kiss on her forehead only solidified the train of thought.

The realization struck her hard, more tears streaming down her cheeks as she cried, **"Yes... Yes! I think... Maybe you're right."** Though she was already in his arms, little distance between them, she lunged at him with a forceful hug, squeezing with all her might, with all her love and gratitude. Letting the tears subside, she pulled back and released him, moving to hold his face in her hands, **"You really must be god-sent. Though it might be blasphemous in a way, you've saved me, over and over again. And likely will only continue to do so."** She was finally able to manage a small smile, a slight twinkle returning to her sky-colored eyes. **"I love you too. You have as much, or more, of my devotion as my goddess does."** She leaned in to softly plant her lips on his, a very soft and tender kiss. It felt so *Right*, so like coming back home. She couldn't believe she'd ever survived being parted from him.

Breaking the kiss to just hold him and be held in turn, the Desert Rose's mind wandered to Sassan, she should find him–but he'd found her first, frantic steps slapping the stones quickly approaching them as he yelled, *"Mama!!"* The young man came to a halt a few feet away from them, panting with his exertion, a mixture of worry, shock, and love coloring his features as he took in the two. Speaking with a shaking voice, he let out a nervous laugh, *"Kairos?! I can't... I can't believe it!"* With no hesitation, and much glee, he joined the demigod, embracing his mother and him from the other side. *"Thank Elira!"*