Time felt too slow as she tried to process what he told her. Even as it registered, Neria stared, her gaze unflinching but wide and even confused somehow, as if he'd told her he'd learned how to fly rather than that he'd made the decision to come with her. She exhaled, the sound harsh. And in the space of her next breath, she closed the very small gap between them, went up on her toes, and threw her arms around his neck and shoulders.

Neria squeezed him tightly. Her eyes burned with the weight of his words. "Stupid," she muttered. He had other places he could have gone to, other opportunities. But she would never, ever turn away such a gift. "I can't believe you did this." She pulled away just enough to reach her hands up and cup his face. "You don't know how much I would have missed you-- Or how much I dreaded it."