Catching Up

[The Cedar Witch]

She nodded and the twitch of an almost sympathetic gaze touched her features as Damien spoke.  On the surface-level, she cared for the well-being of Damien's only fledge.  It never extended beyond that.  Pierre would always come between herself and Nadia, and she would never truly forgive him for that.  Air softly passed through her nose at her exhale. 

"It is good he is healing,"  her voice was soft and cold and she fidgeted in her seat.  Pierre wasn't who she wanted to ask about.

"Has--"  she looked up with a pained expression.  "Has she said anything to you.  Since I..."  She wanted so desperately to reconnect with her fledge, grasping at anything that could possibly indicate that she was forgiven, knowing that was likely unrealistic.  Nadia could be as stubborn as herself.  Pain seized her chest at the thought of never speaking to her again.  And she'd spent the past weeks keeping as far away from those thoughts as she could bear.  But with memory trickling in, she wanted--needed the stability of something familiar. 

[Saiketsu]

Damien shifted his position into something more withdrawn unconsciously, the muscles more tense beneath his clothing. He pressed his tongue to his top teeth and made a small tck before speaking. "You know that she and I have never been close enough for such things. She remains polite and respectful to me as she always has and keeps mostly to herself on the very rare occasion I see her. Mostly, she interacts with Pierre as I've said." It wasn't entirely a lie, as Nadia had said nothing but greetings to Damien since the night she and Pierre helped bring Sonya into the house on Alcott Road.

"You must take comfort in her distance, Odessa. I know it is hard. Like an unruly child, she will return when she's taken her time to think and be." Though Damien didn't truly believe that Nadia was anything like an unruly human teenager. He suspected that looking into the madness of someone whom you loved dearly was too painful to accept - best to amputate the hand lest it poison the rest of the arm. "We are capable of such love as rivals any distance, you know this."

[The Cedar Witch]

There was a frantic look in her eye and the slightest quiver to her lip, but she contained it all with a sharp nod and a plaster smile. 

"D'accord."

She wasn't naive.  She knew this wasn't Nadia being an unruly child.  This was distance wrought from pain caused, and she was frantic to learn how deep the hurt had settled.  There was nothing that Damien would be able to learn.  The only one now who knew anything about what Nadia was thinking or feeling was Pierre--and he'd never say a thing to her about Nadia. 

Healing wasn't the only thing the passing of time was capable of.  Grudges thrived in it if one was of that temperament.  And if Nadia was as much her daughter as Odessa knew her to be, then this risked never being repaired.

"What else do you have new to tell me?"  Her voice was soft, twinged with defeat as she sought his gaze.

[Saiketsu]

Their conversation continued on eggshells - polite words with little to no consequence, passing through topics in poised volleys. The distance between them was maintained on both sides and after several minutes of it, Damien prepared himself to leave, winding the exchange down with an excuse of business as usual that needed monitoring, a lesson plan to be constructed, a dog to be groomed. Odessa, ever-obedient to the rules of decorum, nodded, agreed dully, and walked him to the entrance.

Once again he took both of her hands in his and kissed them respectfully. "Goodbye, my dear friend. Keep yourself well for me, yes?" He offered her a hopeful smile. "And do give my information to this human suitor of yours. I should like to meet him." Damien took his leave of the ancient, casting her one last glance as he pulled out of the driveway and drove on towards home.