his gaze drifts over to the woman, once again not recognizing them but drawing a conclusion even before sol speaks.

"...they're not real."

he squeezes her arm gently, attempting to pull her back.

"i'm sorry, sol."

@sol

☉

magnus.

her brother.

the one she had lost, presumably someone before she moved back to hoenn. he hasn't asked her about it because he doesn't want to push, but seeing it play out in front of him now tells him that maybe he should've asked.

it's clear he meant a lot to her.

but he also knows that this isn't real.

so he follows after her, reaching out for her arm to stop her.

"he isn't real, sol."

@sol

☉

without her hand holding onto him, tethering him to her, he's free to step into the mist, and it's there that he sees someone he doesn't recognize, at least not at first.

but this isn't his vision.

"sol?"

he turns, watching the brief interaction before realizing.

it pains him to see tears. wanting to help, he reaches out for her arm once again.

"sol..."

@sol

☉

dream mist.

"what the fuck—"

instinctively, he moves closer to her, watching as the pink mist starts to flow into the room and around them. it swirls and swirls and it's almost too easy to get caught up in it.

so, he stands, slowly stepping into it.

@sol

☉

make a wish.

there are far too many things he could wish for and even more he should wish for. but at this moment, he could only think of one thing.

for the two of them to be happy.

so, while she's gazing up at the stars, he leans in to kiss her cheek, thankful to have her by his side.

@sol

☉

his fears and anxieties almost seem tangible, as though he could simply reach out and grab them. he finds her instead, grounding himself as he wraps an arm around her.

"me too."

he sighs.

"wanna go home?"

@sol

☉

her question broke through. he finally sighed, closing his eyes as the words came out as strained whispers.

"...i could've lost you, sol..."

he had never dealt with death before, at least not in the way she had. his first encounter with it was terrifying, to say the least, and he suddenly dreaded the future and what could await them.

"i was stupid."

@sol

☉

"i know."

there wasn't much else to say. he had messed up, and they'd paid the consequences for it. if only he had been more careful.

but he could ponder on too many if onlys. what was important was that they were both safe.

"i will. i'm sorry, sol."

@sol

☉

it was only then that he realized where the discomfort within him stemmed from, and why he had been so upset earlier.

because this was all his fault, wasn't it?

it was guilt that ate away at him.

she leaned into him and he stilled.

"...i'm sorry."

@sol

☉

he felt upset, too, for reasons he weren't aware of at the moment. so he sat there in relative silence, speaking only when spoken to.

eventually, they were cleared, and they were dismissed from the scene.

the discomfort never left, however.

left to their own under the quiet stars of slateport, he reached out for her.

"...are you okay?"

@sol

☉

help came, threatening to pull him away from her.

he sighed, meeting her gaze for a moment before stepping away as well to handle the situation — or at least attempt to.

and soon enough, the situation was handled. the buglars were arrested, the claydol sedated, and they were all back outside being tended to.

@sol

☉

this went against everything he learned in training and everything he had swore to do when on duty. but it was all he cared about in the moment — making sure she was safe.

his hands ran along her arms as his eyes glossed her over, assessing the damage. thankfully, she looked fine, but who knew what internal damages the blast caused.

when the ringing finally died and the sound of footsteps approached, he sighed, smiling softly.

"we're good, sol. we're safe."

@sol

☉

the words didn't need to come. his priorities had been set far before they walked into the vault, and the thought of burglars, of all things, didn't occur to him in the moment.

all on his mind was her.

and so, he reached for her, helping her to her feet.

in the background, his perrserker snarled at what remained of the burglars.

@sol

☉