Though he could justify all of his own, that's not the standard he holds Claire to. Michael is light and grace; she is flesh and blood. Feeling her way through the world is natural to her. Humans cannot help but experience emotion, bodies awash in chemical and biological signals.
While the water in the kitchen considers boiling, Michael takes a seat in the most level of the remaining chairs in her living room. He leans over and picks up a stem broken from a potted plant and sets it on the low table nearby. He wouldn't consider it worth keeping, but she looks to be trying to salvage everything she can.
"He might only want to make it clear he's not the kind of man that aims to steal another's wife. I wouldn't assume anything more than what he's said.
"It's a small sample size, but from what I've seen of those who've gone missing and are then returned here, or those who've gained new memories of home—they don't remember this life, when they're back there. There may be a version of you, back home, continuing to live her life as she always has. You may not be her."
No one really understands the intricate details of the Summoning: why it takes who it does, why some disappear, what really happens while they're gone. So why hold themselves to maybes?
"If Jamie were to arrive and find you in the arms of another man, you'd tell him you were lonely. I admit, if I had a romantic partner, I'd expect them to remain loyal to me even after death—but I'm neither a man nor someone who will ever die unless he's killed. Would Jamie want you to be alone for the rest of your days? Your husband is missing; he may already be dead. You may never see him again. Would you expect a widow to live her remaining days in solitude? What if she were to live forever?"
If their recent experience has any truth to it, even the normally mortal among them may have a long, long road ahead of them.
"I think you deserve joy in your life, Claire, even if it's not with Jamie or Jon."
Even if Jon is as disgusted by her as she guesses, there are other men in Abraxas. Other men in Solvunn, who could share her home and take down beehives for her so she needn't dwell on the failure of her efforts.
no subject
Though he could justify all of his own, that's not the standard he holds Claire to. Michael is light and grace; she is flesh and blood. Feeling her way through the world is natural to her. Humans cannot help but experience emotion, bodies awash in chemical and biological signals.
While the water in the kitchen considers boiling, Michael takes a seat in the most level of the remaining chairs in her living room. He leans over and picks up a stem broken from a potted plant and sets it on the low table nearby. He wouldn't consider it worth keeping, but she looks to be trying to salvage everything she can.
"He might only want to make it clear he's not the kind of man that aims to steal another's wife. I wouldn't assume anything more than what he's said.
"It's a small sample size, but from what I've seen of those who've gone missing and are then returned here, or those who've gained new memories of home—they don't remember this life, when they're back there. There may be a version of you, back home, continuing to live her life as she always has. You may not be her."
No one really understands the intricate details of the Summoning: why it takes who it does, why some disappear, what really happens while they're gone. So why hold themselves to maybes?
"If Jamie were to arrive and find you in the arms of another man, you'd tell him you were lonely. I admit, if I had a romantic partner, I'd expect them to remain loyal to me even after death—but I'm neither a man nor someone who will ever die unless he's killed. Would Jamie want you to be alone for the rest of your days? Your husband is missing; he may already be dead. You may never see him again. Would you expect a widow to live her remaining days in solitude? What if she were to live forever?"
If their recent experience has any truth to it, even the normally mortal among them may have a long, long road ahead of them.
"I think you deserve joy in your life, Claire, even if it's not with Jamie or Jon."
Even if Jon is as disgusted by her as she guesses, there are other men in Abraxas. Other men in Solvunn, who could share her home and take down beehives for her so she needn't dwell on the failure of her efforts.