3/1/2026, 8:55 PM
Every fiber of his being rejected aid. To be on the receiving end of help was to admit weakness, admitting needing someone; Alder had always preferred to be as independent as he could, for if he required nothing from no one, he could never be let down. Never be beholden.
The world was a simpler place when it was only him, and his problems only belonged to him.
Yet how beautifully Solvi's eyes shone in the gentle dawn, and then the first rays of sunlight threaded their way through the clouds and touched upon her face like a golden crown. Anyone else he would have turned down entirely - for how deeply he despised himself! - but because it was she who requested it, he could deny her nothing.
Alder swallowed his pride, picking himself up and following the direction she set. He limped toward the clearing with as much dignity as he could muster, but it was clear he favored the wounded limb and his gait was awkward and unsteady.
With a final grunt, he proffered the injured leg as he averted his eyes in embarrassment.
That sounds a lot like the Five's version of bleak eternity for assholes,he said, risking a glance back. A pensive expression overtook him briefly, and he paused.
I wonder if all beliefs are somehow connected to - something bigger, something from the beginning of time that makes them all make sense. An origin point of sorts.
Perhaps it was a silly thought, but rambling helped distract him from the moment. He felt almost shy beneath her medical ministrations, simultaneously wishing to make himself smaller, somehow take up less space, to be less of a burden; all his life he'd felt like an inconvenience, like too much and not enough at the same time.
But he could not hide from Solvi.
I -
Alder’s breath hitched, and the words did not come out.
... Thank you,he finished lamely.
That was not what he had wanted to say at all.
![[Image: UWkba3H.png]](https://i.imgur.com/UWkba3H.png)
- Alder is not actually Inuyasha, despite the evidence
