[The silence is probably meant to hold, and he knows it. Kadoc tenses for that moment when he can sense her wanting to speak—don't!—but then she doesn't, and he breathes out, watching her gesture instead. Okay. This is fine. This is just what's going to happen now, and it could be worse than it seems to be thus far.
Seems to be. He can't be sure. Some wild animal in his heart is still crouched and breathing hard, muscles tense, ready to flee into the trees at the first sign of some beast coming to devour it. Her revenge. He can't convince that startled fawn in him that she's not going to seek it, no matter how strangely casual she is about leading them out of the circle, and no matter how tired she is, which is down to and into the bones, he now knows. The exhaustion lingers in him. He nods minutely at her and goes to head out of the circle, feeling it drag at his steps. . . . Maybe some of that is the fading adrenaline of both the shock and catharsis of the ritual.
But some isn't.
As they walk, he watches her warily, but without the hard stare they'd exchanged on their way in. They step out into the open—into little clusters of lightly chattering people, which feels surreal in the aftermath of that intense and oppressive silence.
Of course, now that Kadoc's free to break it, hell if he knows how to start.]
no subject
Seems to be. He can't be sure. Some wild animal in his heart is still crouched and breathing hard, muscles tense, ready to flee into the trees at the first sign of some beast coming to devour it. Her revenge. He can't convince that startled fawn in him that she's not going to seek it, no matter how strangely casual she is about leading them out of the circle, and no matter how tired she is, which is down to and into the bones, he now knows. The exhaustion lingers in him. He nods minutely at her and goes to head out of the circle, feeling it drag at his steps. . . . Maybe some of that is the fading adrenaline of both the shock and catharsis of the ritual.
But some isn't.
As they walk, he watches her warily, but without the hard stare they'd exchanged on their way in. They step out into the open—into little clusters of lightly chattering people, which feels surreal in the aftermath of that intense and oppressive silence.
Of course, now that Kadoc's free to break it, hell if he knows how to start.]