For a few moments he stood still, just looking down at her. She stared back at him, trying not to look as nervous as she felt. It had been a while. They had left off on better terms than last time, but she hated not knowing the score. Just like she hated it every time they were apart.
The silence went on for an eternity, it seemed. Her grip on the balustrade tightened.
Come down, please, or I will run up to you, she thought.
I can’t bear this pull any longer…
Thankfully he moved first, taking the stairs two at a time. Her eyes never left him. They were a more vivid green now, giving her gaze a luminous intensity. Arcturus would recognize it as a sign of corruption. She could’ve done something to obscure it, but she wasn’t trying to hide what she had become from him. Quite the opposite.
“
Yes,” she said, their proximity allowing her voice, normally soft-spoken, to drop into its usual range. “
I’ve been to the Nether a few times before. I should know my way around by now.”
But this was the first time she’d found his workshop. The significance of that wasn’t lost on either of them.
Putting away his dagger (she hadn't even noticed it, her eyes glued to his face), he asked if she wanted anything to eat or drink. “
No, thank you,” she answered, reaching up to pull her hair out of her cloak with a sweep of her hand. Long blonde curls tumbled down her back.
"Not that you're a guest... Family. You're family."
She gave him a little smile. “
Well, I did bear your children and take your name.” There was no ring to bind them, though. Nothing official.
“
You look good, Arc.” He seemed older, more mature. The boyishness in his face had all but disappeared. A man stood before her now. She could see the outline of toned muscles through his shirt. “
I was afraid I’d find you wasting away, like last time.”
She still hadn’t said why she’d come here. The truth was, she’d wanted to visit him for some time. Rumors among the dead had finally spurred her on. Word had it the Sandman would be returning to the land of the living soon. She wanted to know why.
But more than that… “
I wanted to see you,” she whispered, reaching for his hand.