Phya Tayuun. [ He echoes the name as he moves to brush the tears from her cheeks; of course, they are not something to be ashamed of, but he imagines that she has shed enough of them in her lifetime: in all lifetimes. ]

This time, I am resolved to stay with you, and if anything attempts to separate us again, that attempt will not happen without a fight.

[ He leans closer to her so that he might see her eyes and eliminate the distance between them. He finds he can't quite recall what her eyes looked like before, so he resolves to simply memorize the way her eyes look now. And then, once they are closer together, he leans his forehead against hers and stays there. ]