Nitya Xeraic
Character
Nitya listened quietly, really listened, the way she always did when Dreidi spoke from that place between confidence and worry. She didn't interrupt, didn't rush to fill the spaces. When Dreidi finished, Nitya let a breath out slowly, her gaze thoughtful rather than troubled.
"I know," she said softly. "I have never seen you as someone pretending at strength. You fight because you must, because circumstance demanded it, not because it defined you. And that matters." Her lips curved faintly. "Aileni was forged differently. Some people are born into the storm. Others learn how to survive it."
She shifted slightly, folding her hands together, calm and grounded.
"I think you are right about our mother," Nitya continued. "That pull toward understanding instead of conquest, toward holding things together rather than breaking them apart. I feel it too, even if I took a different road." Her eyes lifted to Dreidi's. "I was never meant to be a blade at the front of the line. I was meant to stand where things meet. Where pain turns into healing, where chaos slows enough to be understood."
There was no regret in her voice, only acceptance.
"So when you say not to be sorry for who I am… thank you. I needed to hear that from you." A pause, then quieter, "I spent a long time wondering if I should have been more. Louder. Sharper. Braver in the ways the galaxy rewards. But forcing myself into that shape would have broken me."
At the mention of Delvin's name, Nitya's expression warmed just a fraction, not defensive, not secretive.
"I trust you," she said simply. "If your instincts ever truly warn you, I will listen. But for now… I am choosing curiosity over fear."
She leaned back as well, mirroring Dreidi without thinking about it.
"As for them," she said, meaning Aileni and others like him, "they may stumble. They may even fall. But they will not be alone. Neither of us walks this galaxy blindly anymore."
Her gaze softened, steady and sure.
"And if being concerned means loving them enough to watch the road ahead, then I think that is something we will always share."
Dreidi Xeraic
"I know," she said softly. "I have never seen you as someone pretending at strength. You fight because you must, because circumstance demanded it, not because it defined you. And that matters." Her lips curved faintly. "Aileni was forged differently. Some people are born into the storm. Others learn how to survive it."
She shifted slightly, folding her hands together, calm and grounded.
"I think you are right about our mother," Nitya continued. "That pull toward understanding instead of conquest, toward holding things together rather than breaking them apart. I feel it too, even if I took a different road." Her eyes lifted to Dreidi's. "I was never meant to be a blade at the front of the line. I was meant to stand where things meet. Where pain turns into healing, where chaos slows enough to be understood."
There was no regret in her voice, only acceptance.
"So when you say not to be sorry for who I am… thank you. I needed to hear that from you." A pause, then quieter, "I spent a long time wondering if I should have been more. Louder. Sharper. Braver in the ways the galaxy rewards. But forcing myself into that shape would have broken me."
At the mention of Delvin's name, Nitya's expression warmed just a fraction, not defensive, not secretive.
"I trust you," she said simply. "If your instincts ever truly warn you, I will listen. But for now… I am choosing curiosity over fear."
She leaned back as well, mirroring Dreidi without thinking about it.
"As for them," she said, meaning Aileni and others like him, "they may stumble. They may even fall. But they will not be alone. Neither of us walks this galaxy blindly anymore."
Her gaze softened, steady and sure.
"And if being concerned means loving them enough to watch the road ahead, then I think that is something we will always share."
Dreidi Xeraic