"I never told you," Diarmuid's voice is flat and lifeless now. Her words are very slowly making their way into his mind. However, it's not them, but the presence of someone familiar--someone safe--that is having the most impact. That's why he leans forward into her and never once considers pulling away. His head settles against her shoulder and then Diarmuid falls silent, though the silence doesn't last long. Soon a soft sound fills the air. A soft sound that slowly gets louder.
Diarmuid is crying. For the first time since what happened so very long ago, he is facing the emotions he didn't have time for back then. Iseult's younger brother--her family's only other child--had gone mad with grief and begun an aggressive quest to ruin Diarmuid. Not only had he been forced to deal with him, he had to fight to keep his friends from taking action against the grief stricken man. However, once her brother had attacked Diarmuid, things had changed. Diarmuid himself had only been slightly injured, but his friends were done listening to him tell them to let it go. Oisin... Diarmuid is still not sure exactly how the bard did it, but in only a matter of days, Oisin's managed to make everyone forget that Iseult's brother even existed, forcing the man to leave the city. In fact, he had never been heard from again. Only Diarmuid and Oisin himself remembered the man at all.
For a short time, Diarmuid had wondered if he was going mad, then things slowly started to return to normal. With no one besides Oisin remembering the whole story, Diarmuid had packed away his emotions and smiled like nothing was wrong.
That smile--that wall--is finally gone, crumbling once he had forced himself to finally say her name again. It takes a while for his tears to spend themselves and then he falls silent once more. Finally hearing Grainne's answer is soothing even as it troubles him. How...how does he respond to that?
Thankfully, her words regarding Oscar give him a way to avoid that response for now and he takes it to give him more time to sort his mind out and think of the best way to bring up his new life...and his new love.
"You have no idea now grateful I am to hear that. Thank you. Thank you."
Here a piece, there a piece...
Diarmuid is crying. For the first time since what happened so very long ago, he is facing the emotions he didn't have time for back then. Iseult's younger brother--her family's only other child--had gone mad with grief and begun an aggressive quest to ruin Diarmuid. Not only had he been forced to deal with him, he had to fight to keep his friends from taking action against the grief stricken man. However, once her brother had attacked Diarmuid, things had changed. Diarmuid himself had only been slightly injured, but his friends were done listening to him tell them to let it go. Oisin... Diarmuid is still not sure exactly how the bard did it, but in only a matter of days, Oisin's managed to make everyone forget that Iseult's brother even existed, forcing the man to leave the city. In fact, he had never been heard from again. Only Diarmuid and Oisin himself remembered the man at all.
For a short time, Diarmuid had wondered if he was going mad, then things slowly started to return to normal. With no one besides Oisin remembering the whole story, Diarmuid had packed away his emotions and smiled like nothing was wrong.
That smile--that wall--is finally gone, crumbling once he had forced himself to finally say her name again. It takes a while for his tears to spend themselves and then he falls silent once more. Finally hearing Grainne's answer is soothing even as it troubles him. How...how does he respond to that?
Thankfully, her words regarding Oscar give him a way to avoid that response for now and he takes it to give him more time to sort his mind out and think of the best way to bring up his new life...and his new love.
"You have no idea now grateful I am to hear that. Thank you. Thank you."