Simon, innately reticent, had always let his actions speak louder than words, but usually, she would fill the void with her words of love. Yet, on mornings like today, she was inexplicably drawn into the abyss of silence that engulfed him. What words could she possibly offer? "Stay here?" It was a futile plea; lives hung in the balance of his departure. Simon bore the crushing weight of duty with grim determination. "I miss you" felt like a cruel understatement. Of course, she would miss him, and the torment of loyalty gnawed at her soul just as fiercely as it did at his. "Take care" seemed like an empty, meaningless phrase. Naturally, he would watch over his comrades and himself. He was no longer the reckless recruit who once charged blindly into the heart of battle. "Come back to me" sounded like a prayer, a desperate plea to fate itself. What other course of action was there for him?

(little text i had in my mind while doing this)