chrysopteron | (no subject)

"I don't know. I wish I could tell you a reason why but I'm here now,"

He steps a touch closer to her, he knows there's nothing he can say that will truly help. The world of the gods is as unfair as the world of men.

Edited 2012-06-02 22:29 (UTC)

"I used to not care. Charles I turned away from this."

This is not the first time the lady Hera has acted so...so cruelly.

But now is different.

And Iris sees Charles coming towards her - so slowly, is he afraid of me? - and even in her anger he is still a balm to Iris' spirit.

There's no fear only concern, he doesn't want to hurt her, "But now you see it? What changed?"

"You!"

He stops before asking, "Should I leave?"

"...What?"

Helpfully enough, Iris' confusion at least gets her down from talking a mile a minute.

"If knowing you has changed you in a way you don't like then I'll leave, Iris,"

It's not something he wants to do but he'll go if she tells him to.

"You leave and I'll follow." It's sharp. Sharper than she intends, but the spike of panic behind the words supports that Iris is very much against the idea of Charles leaving her.

He reaches for her hand,

"Then know I'm here and talk to me, please. I can listen and hold you."

Iris keeps her hand in Charles' even when she wants to snap at him. Words? her mind asks desperately. "What words might I offer? They did not aid Kallisto as she begged lady Hera and I do not know what good they might offer now."

As she snaps, he stands and squeezes her hand, there's so little he can give,

"Your feelings are important. I don't know if anything can change but sometimes talking can help or not. I don't know what to do to help you, Iris."

He doesn't get it.

You misunderstand me.

in all of this --- the fact i can say anything here to you to myself fly about in anger

I am feeling here.

at home it would be locked away in my raindrops and grief and Yes, my lady Hera? is my only reply to her she who has killed someone who sinned against her but not against Zeus himself

I can react here, Charles. You cannot help me. But you are.

"Oh,"

That's more than he expected and it hurts to know she can't react properly in her world.

"Oh? No more words than those, Charles?"

Stepping towards his space, larger somehow with her wings poised behind her, Iris thinks, I can return here by your tokens. I learn to love a mortal here, though I never had before in eons of service. You want to solve my problems, but you cannot. My problems exist because of you. My solutions exist because of you. You cannot put me back to sleep again; Hypnos will not take me.

She's daunting and her words and thoughts aren't easy to hear, so he stands firms and says,

"No, I don't know what to say or do other than be here for you."

"And I know not how to act or speak right now except that whatever fault has occurred at the time by my anger, it is my own making, not yours."

Worry not, Charles.

"Would you rather fly once more?"

If that would help her then she should do it and he squeezes her hand. He can't help but worry though he'll try to not worry too much.

"I do not know."

It's a side effect of not really bothering with compassion before now.

"I cannot do anything that helps the situation to my own satisfaction."

"Oh Iris," That is a situation he does know quite well, "Sometimes you can't do anything and can only learn how to process it."

Iris doesn't approve of this particular scenario very much. She nearly vibrates with it.

"It's what I do most of the time when I see people in pain. I try to help but usually there's little I can do. It never stops hurting. Sometimes there are ways I can provide a little assistance but I can't easily say to someone that I felt their pain, heard their thoughts and want to help. Then I'd be thought mad and no good would come of it."

What Iris actually internalized from that: 'It never stops hurting.'

Her wings droop slightly.

I do not wish to return this evening.

"Then you don't have to. I'll stay with you tonight,"

He takes another step forward towards her.

Iris exhales, bringing her wings around Charles lightly. "That is not a requirement."

"I want to. Everything can wait."