Chapter Text
Tech hated how awkward things had become after the mine.
He was usually better about keeping his feelings to himself, especially because there wasn't anything constructive about them. When working together was the one thing that stood between death and survival, when it was what carried a community - his family, the hunters, even the smaller dynamic that had popped up between the four of them - needlessly antagonizing other people was the last thing you should do.
Sometimes it was better to keep the painful things inside and wait for them to burn out on their own, rather than confront them. Emotional burdens were easier to carry than physical ones (though it probably was the reason he didn't like sticking with other people for very long).
But he'd messed up and let it slip out and now Phil and Tommy were pretty much avoiding him completely.
Well, maybe not avoiding him. But there was a distance there in more ways than one, Tech could feel it in how superficial Phil kept their conversations or how Tommy didn't touch him anymore, hovering shy of putting his hand on Tech's shoulder multiple times. He always seemed to linger a single step behind him too, as if too scared to approach him anymore.
And Tech knew he had asked for this, but it still hurt a bit more than he expected.
He shook his head, hoping it would make the thoughts easier to dismiss. This was what he had wanted, wasn't it? He needed space to make sure he didn't get distracted. Traveling with Phil and Tommy and Wilbur had been more bearable than Tech had expected it would be, too caught up in his past experiences. But just because it was bearable - nice, even - didn't mean it should last longer than strictly necessary. He had to find his family. He couldn't-
"Techno," Wilbur broke into his self-reproach, standing a little too close for comfort. Unlike Phil and Tommy, who had taken Tech's request for more space extremely literally, Wilbur seemed to have taken it as a challenge. "Do you want some of these?"
He was holding out his hand, practically shoving the berries he had plucked from a nearby bush into Tech's face. The boy scowled a little.
"I'm good."
"They're very tasty," Wilbur insisted. "Also, you need to eat."
"I have food." Not that Tech had touched any of it in the past day, but he hadn't expected Wilbur to notice that.
"Techno," Wilbur said again, softer this time. Tech elbowed into him to push him away and keep walking. He could feel Wilbur's scowl burning into his back.
It happened a few more times while they continued traveling down the mountain. Wilbur always tried to prompt conversation, even going out of his way to tell Tech random things he'd never asked for. Things about his own family. Wilbur was an orphan but spoke of his parents fondly. He didn't have any siblings.
He'd never understand. None of them did.
It didn't help that Tommy clearly had told the others about his bracelets. Tech supposed it was his own fault, he never made Tommy promise to keep it a secret. Because it wasn't, he didn't care if they knew.
But now there was this new sort of pity with which Phil would look at him. And Tommy's jokes weren't as loud. And Wilbur tried to get him to talk about his past.
Tech hated it. He wanted things to go back to how they were, just for the two more days he'd be stuck with these people. After that, he'd never have to see them again.
The path down was pretty dangerous, with no trees to shield them from the sweltering heat of the sun and loose rocks that crumbled under their dusty footsteps and were an accident waiting to happen. Once, Tech almost tripped and fell, but Wilbur was there to catch his arm and keep him from tumbling down and probably breaking his darn leg or something. Tech pulled back as if Wilbur's fingers burned him.
It made Wilbur click his tongue. "Sorry, I realize how inconvenient it must be to be forced to rely on others when you hate them. Next time I'll just let you fall like an idiot." He was clearly hurt by Tech's actions.
"Wilbur," Phil warned. For somebody who wasn't even his dad, he managed to pack a lot of tension in that single word. Wilbur turned away.
By night, they had made it down the mountain and into the hills that lay beyond. It was more of a grassy terrain compared to the forests that they'd left on the other side. The wind blew warmer here, carrying with it the faintest scent of the sea. Tech inhaled, letting the sharp pang of it fill his lungs.
He had never seen the sea, not even once. But his mother had told him about it while combing his hair. She had whispered about a blue that reached so far your eyes couldn't tell where the water ended and the sky began. She said that when storms rolled by and the waves grew choppy, the sea would be the same color as Tech's eyes. That they would hold the same fierceness in them.
Tech promised himself that when he found his family, he would ask his mother to take him to see the ocean.
They pitched their tents in the valley, so they were at least somewhat protected from the wind. All the way during them hammering the pegs into the ground, Wilbur kept looking at him awkwardly. Like he wanted to say something but didn't know when was the right time. Tech ignored him. Tommy and Phil always shared one tent and Wilbur and Tech shared the other. But since Wilbur had the watch tonight, at least Tech wouldn't have to worry about him being all weird and pushy while he was trying to sleep.
He crawled inside the tent when it was all set up, pushing his bag into a corner. It was getting heavier because Tech had started to subtly stow away some of his food as rations. He wasn't going to stick around too much longer, and while he could probably buy some extra supplies in Brighthelmston, it was never too early to start preparing.
The last thing he wanted to do was linger too long in the town and waste even more time.
When he came back out, Phil was cutting up some meat and putting it on skewers, to roast over the fire they had going. Tommy was drawing in the dirt with one of the sticks, explaining to Wilbur the scene he was portraying.
"-and this is us selling all the contraband and getting ridiculously rich." Tommy pointed at two stick figures carrying large bags of what was presumably gold.
Wilbur smiled, clearly amused by the child's excitement over his imagined scam. "What are you going to do with the money?"
"What?" Tommy asked.
Tech went to sit down, drawing his legs up close to his chest. It wasn't cold, but he felt weirdly lacking. Like he was missing something important.
"You're planning to get rich," Wilbur said, "but you never told us what you'll do with your riches."
"Oh, I don't know." Tommy shrugged. "Give it to charity I think."
"You're going to become rich and then give it all away?" Phil handed Tommy one of the meat skewers, before doing the same for Wilbur and Tech.
"Yeah, it's not like I need the money. I already have a house." Tommy took a bite and then kept talking without chewing, which was honestly pretty disgusting. "And I don't need money to get women either because they'll all fall in love with how cool and handsome I am."
"I'm sure," Wilbur said. He sounded sarcastic, but Tommy didn't notice.
"What kind of house do you have?" Tech asked. It was the first words he had spoken in hours. It actually made Phil look at him in surprise, and Tommy smiled brightly.
"I have a treehouse back at home! It's really cool, you should come visit it. Or maybe we can build our own one in Phil's backyard."
Before Tech could respond, Wilbur cut into their conversation. "Dude, Techno isn't even planning to stick around once we get to town. He can't wait to be rid of us."
The silence that followed this statement was deafening. Wilbur was staring at him, goading him for a reaction. But Tech just turned around and went back into the tent. Behind him, Phil said something he couldn't hear over the rushing in his ears.
He couldn't deal with this right now.
If Wilbur wanted to hate him, that was fine. Maybe it was better, actually. Because then that'd be one less person who would need to miss him when he was gone. Tech hated the thought, but he knew it was true. Phil and Tommy would be sad to see him go. Worse, Tech would be sad too. Part of him longed to be able to stay with them.
And it disgusted Tech to his very core.
How could he be so terrible, as to try and replace the family that had raised and loved him since birth? How could he decide that they were dead without any proof of such when he had been fighting so hard to keep them alive in his memories? How could he pretend they never existed, because stopping his search for them meant he'd have to stop holding onto the hope he'd ever see them again and that was the same as never having had them at all-
He couldn't sleep. The talking outside was muted and then halted completely as Phil and Tommy went off to bed early. After the mines, all of them were exhausted. Tech didn't think he'd be able to fall asleep though, brain buzzing with unpleasantness and heart aching. Eventually, he went back outside, sick of lying there in misery.
Wilbur looked up at him from where he was writing in his journal. His eyes were hard to see in the dark. "Why are you still up?"
"Can't sleep," Tech said.
Something much too close to guilt crossed Wilbur's face. His words from earlier still echoed within Tech's mind, the resentment in them clear as day. Wilbur was angry because he thought that Tech wanted to cast them aside.
(Maybe he did. Maybe Wilbur wasn't even wrong.)
"You should rest," Wilbur insisted. "It's my turn to keep watch anyway, so it's only fair I stay up."
"It's fine if I don't wanna sleep anyway," Tech said. He bent forward to pick up a stick - maybe it was the same one Tommy had been using to draw earlier - and used it to stoke the fire. His eyes trailed the embers that sparked up and disappeared into the sky.
"You look fucking exhausted," Wilbur told him, reaching out. He grabbed Tech's wrist to stop him from poking at the flames. "Get back in the tent, Techno."
He tried to pull loose, but for some reason Wilbur was holding on surprisingly firmly. "Why are you making a big deal out of this?" Tech said sharply.
"Because you're acting like a moron," Wilbur shot back. "You don't want to rely on others? Fine, be a stubborn asshole and see if I care. But you being so sleep deprived you'll walk right into an abomination's maw tomorrow won't do any of us good."
"I've managed to make it this far without you guys, I'm sure I'll cope," Tech spat. Wilbur still wasn't letting go, not even when Tech shoved his shoulder.
"Just because you did something before doesn't mean it's good for you?!"
"Shut up!" With a lot more force, he ripped his arm free.
It worked. But it also made Wilbur curl his fingers, catching on the bracelets around his wrist. Tech could feel the twine be pulled taut, then snap on two of them. Beads cascaded to the ground between them, rolling off into the grass. Frozen in shock, Tech could only stare at them with wide eyes. Wilbur also stopped moving, hand still raised.
For a few seconds, neither of them even knew how to react.
Then Wilbur knelt and started gathering the pieces. "Sorry. Techno, I didn't- Fuck, hold on."
Tech stared at him, at Wilbur searching along the ground. He could feel his chest rising and falling too fast for comfort, yet no oxygen would make it into his lungs. His entire body was shaking. It hurt so bad and he didn't know what to do.
When he blinked, his eyes stung.
"Look, here's a bunch of them," Wilbur started while rising to his feet again. He had a couple of the beads cupped in his palms, but it wasn't nearly all of them. Not even half of one bracelet, really. It was so dark and the ground was sloped a bit and the grass was too tall for them to go searching.
Tech's family-
"I'm sure we can fix them," Wilbur said softly.
But Tech shook his head, vision growing blurry. "I need to make new ones. I need to- they can't. I can't let them die because of me." He started patting his pocket, looking for his carving knife. Did he leave it in his backpack?
Wilbur stepped closer, still holding the beads. "Techno, it's okay."
"No, it's not!" Tech's throat hurt from the sudden rise in pitch. He should be surprised he hadn't woken up the others yet, but Tommy usually slept like a log. It also was the last thing on his mind. He needed to make two new talismans. "My bracelets keep them safe. I made them to keep them safe." He found his knife, pulled it from his pocket, and started desperately looking around. He needed a tree, somewhere to get wood. But there was only grassland all around. "If they die because I broke the bracelet it's my fault." He was so close to sobbing.
And Tech knew Wilbur didn't believe in protective spells. He thought it was all nonsense.
Wilbur looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, okay I can… hold on, I have an idea."
He went into their tent and came out with the drums he had made before. "This is wood, you can use this to carve new beads from."
Tech's breath hitched. "Are you sure?" he asked, even as he was already reaching out to take it.
"I'm sure," Wilbur said. "I'll help you disassemble it."
Wilbur sat down next to him and started taking the drum apart, handing pieces of it off to Tech for him to carve beads out of. The wood was already curved so that helped, and the string that was used to tie the drum together would be handy as well. Tech tried to be quick, every second without the two missing bracelets on his wrists made him feel nervous. But it was hard to be precise when he was hurrying. While he did, he tried to think of his family. He tried to remember their faces, even if time had made that hard. The memories felt smudged together, their voices overlapping. Tech was so scared of forgetting.
His vision was getting blurry, no matter how much he blinked to dispel the tears. The knife almost slipped and cut into his thumb.
Wilbur's hands touched his own.
Tech wanted to scream but he couldn't, his throat was too clogged with emotion. Gently, Wilbur took the wood and knife from him and continued carving as Tech sat there and watched him.
They took turns until the beads were done. Tech tied them again and laid his hand over the two completed bracelets. They were cold, foreign. They lacked all of the wear and tear his old bracelets had and it made Tech want to cry even more.
"I'm sorry," Wilbur said eventually.
"I'm not an orphan," Tech told him. "I'm not-" He swallowed, the words coming out too choked. But he felt that if he forced them down now, they would fester inside his chest for the rest of eternity. "I'm not like you. I already have a family. I can't give up on them."
"I'm not asking you to give up on them," Wilbur said. He leaned closer until their sides touched. And Tech didn't pull away when Wilbur's head flopped onto his shoulder. "But I want you to be happy, Techno. You don't need to suffer alone until you find them."
A shaky exhale left him. Tech's fingers rubbed the beads slowly, as if he could feel their phantom touch on his skin. "I think that wherever they are, they're all wearing one of these too. To keep me safe. It's thanks to them that I have made it this far."
Tech had to believe that because the alternative would break him.
"You're probably right. Just because I know that I'd wear one for you too." Wilbur's hair tickled the edge of his jaw. His side was warm and Tech smiled. "Maybe I'll make one since you're leaving. And I want to do my part."
"Maybe…" Tech said vaguely.
He didn't know anymore, head too full of it to decide. Exhausted, he closed his eyes. Wilbur pulled him a little closer, before reaching out for the leftover wood and the carving knife. He hummed as he worked, and the slow rhythm of his song was what Tech fell asleep to.
Wildflowers grew as far as the eye could see.
Tech was impressed. The mountains were pretty cool and he'd always liked the forest. But he had never seen so much color in one place. The air was saturated heavily with the blossom's sweet fragrance, their mingling oddly complimentary. Tech couldn't turn in any direction without his fingertips brushing against some petals, that's how thick the flowers grew.
"Look, there's a ruin up there!" Wilbur pointed towards the distant rubble of a castle. The bracelet around his arm slid upward with the motion, and Tech felt unable not to have his eyes catch on it.
Whenever he saw it, his heart did this weird little jump in his chest. He couldn't tell if it was pleasant or painful - maybe both. Wilbur hadn't mentioned it, hadn't said anything about it. He'd just made the bracelet and started wearing it without comment, and Tech looked away whenever he saw it because he didn't want to embarrass himself by getting teary-eyed again.
Wilbur had already seen enough of that last night.
The emotions were still all bunched up inside him, sharp and conflicting. Tech hadn't made up his mind on what to do next. But at least things ran a bit smoother between Wilbur and himself, and Tommy and Phil had obviously also picked up on this lack of tension. At least for the moment, they could pretend things were alright.
(They could pretend Tech didn't plan to leave and never see them again soon.)
"Techno!" Tommy ran up to him. He had a hard time catching up with Tech's strides. Heh, the upsides of having long legs. "Technoblade, stop being a bitch when I'm just trying to give you a gift."
Rolling his eyes, Tech relented and slowed down to allow Tommy to catch up with him. In his defense, it was really funny to see Tommy's petulant face, cheeks all red from having to run.
"You're so mean!" he accused.
"I'm just walking at a normal speed," Tech lied. He'd definitely been walking fast on purpose.
"I brought you a gift," Tommy said with a little smirk.
"What's the catch?" Tech asked. He didn't trust Tommy's gifts. It was like making a deal with the devil, there was always some caveat to accepting something from this gremlin.
"No catch," Tommy promised. At Tech's skeptical look, he frowned. "There's no catch because it's a special gift between child allies. If you were an adult, I'd totally demand payment."
Unable to hide his amusement, Tech held out his hand. "I'll bite. What did you get me?"
"Tada!" Tommy dumped a handful of pebbles into his upturned palm.
"You… got me some rocks?"
Tommy gasped so loudly it almost made Tech flinch. "These aren't just any rocks! This is magical bedrock."
"Magical bedrock?" Tech repeated.
"From a magical place." Tommy nodded to himself, with the confidence of a man who had just gifted Tech the secrets of the universe. Tech was pretty sure Tommy just found these rocks on the ground somewhere.
But he still shoved them into his pocket. "Thanks."
Tommy grinned, pleased that his offering had been received. Phil walked up to them, having watched the exchange happen. "Can I borrow Techno for a moment, Tommy?"
"Why?" Tommy asked immediately. "Are you jealous because you're old and don't deserve any magical bedrock?"
"Very jealous," Phil said solemnly and it made Tommy giggle. "Nah, I just want to discuss something with him. How about you go help Wilbur with some more samples while we talk? He looks like he needs assistance." He nodded in Wilbur's direction.
Tommy was very easy to distract if you just gave him something to do. "On it boss!" he said before skipping away.
"I actually also have a gift for you," Phil said, reaching into his bag.
"If it's more rocks you can keep them," Tech answered. Phil laughed, shaking his head.
"Well, they're sort of like rocks but I think you'll want to hold onto these a bit better."
He handed Tech a small, folded piece of cloth. Because of the vague way Phil spoke about this present, Tech was extra careful when opening the little makeshift packet, unsure what to expect. At first, he almost thought there was nothing inside. The two stones were so small they were easy to miss.
But then Tech found himself looking at two emeralds, inlaid in gold.
"These are-"
"They're earrings," Phil said. "I noticed you had your ears pierced."
Tech reached up with his other hand automatically, feeling for the uneven little holes in his earlobe. It was a tradition of the hunter party he had traveled with to get piercings after successful kills. Once upon a time, Tech had several silver rings in each ear, but he had sold the jewelry to buy food ages ago.
None of those rings had been as pretty as these emeralds though.
"I can't accept these," he heard himself say. They must be very expensive so for Phil to give these to him-
"Yes, you can." Phil pushed Tech's hand towards him, already refusing his attempt to give the earrings back. "I have a sneaking suspicion you'll never see that reward Tommy promised you for traveling with us and being our mercenary. So consider this your payment instead."
"Phil, these are worth way more than what a job such as this should have paid. I really can't take them." Tech started to fold the fabric closed again. "And also, do you think I really expected Tommy to pay up even for a second? I'm not that stupid."
He said it with obvious humor and not anger. He knew from the start Tommy was broke, and whatever scam he had planned for Brighthelmston, Tech would be seriously surprised if he ever saw a penny of it. If he was really only coming along to get money, he wouldn't have stuck with these guys.
And Phil had to realize that too.
His expression softened. "You're right. It would be too much for one job. But it can be advance payment for your next one."
Tech raised an eyebrow, curious about where this was going.
"I was wondering if you'd consider staying with us once we get to Brighthelmston?"
Taking a step back, his hands closed into fists tight enough for the sharp part of the earring to poke through the fabric and into his skin. Tech ignored it.
If Phil noticed, he didn't comment on it. "Once we get back, I'll be busier with work again. And I'd be glad to have somebody around who can keep an eye on Tommy while he gets into trouble around town. I'm too fond of him to let him go to jail," Phil joked.
"So you want to employ me as a bodyguard?" Tech asked, frowning.
"If you want to?"
Phil was smiling at him, waiting for an answer. It infuriated Tech. He could tell the other man was not telling him the whole truth.
"What is this really about?" Tech pushed.
To his credit, Phil's smile did not falter. There only came an edge of sadness to it.
"When you fought with Wilbur last night-"
"You woke up?" Tech could curse himself, he knew he should have kept things quieter. It was weird that Phil would be woken up by their yelling and not come out of the tent to check up on them though.
"No, I was definitely fast asleep. It's just that Kristin wasn't." Tech's confusion was plain as day, Phil could be so damn cryptic sometimes that it drove him up the wall. "I know you met her, on the boat."
"That was…" It all came back to Tech then. The mysterious aura around Phil, the purple shine of his eyes, the odd way of speaking.
The person Tech had talked to that night wasn't Phil at all.
"We have a way to stay in touch. It's hard to explain, but the long and short of it is that our minds are linked in a manner that allows her to visit me. We see each other in my dreams, but when we do she's technically more aware of my body and its surroundings than I am."
Tech didn't know what to say to that. It wasn't that the existence of magic in itself surprised him - Tech had seen too many things science couldn't explain to insist everything in the world was able to be contained in simple, human logic. But it was still surprising to have it sprung on him like this.
Phil waited a few seconds for him to process before continuing. "Kristin overheard your fight and we know that you're hoping to find your family. We want to help, if we can."
"Help how?" Tech asked. He hated how defensive he sounded.
"I have a lot of contacts, in and out of town. All across the country, really. Even if your family lives a secluded or nomadic lifestyle, it's not out of the question that we can track down some information on them. Hell, even if just to make sure they're still alive-"
"They are!" Tech said. Phil raised his hands.
"Okay, yeah, that's- We just want to help."
You don't need to suffer alone until you find them.
Tech shoved the earrings into his other pocket. "I'll think about it," he said, already turning around before Phil could answer.
He could feel the other man staring holes into his back as he hurried to catch up with the other two, mind now even more conflicted than before.
They decided to stay overnight in the castle ruins.
Brighthelmston was less than a day away, they could be in the town by noon tomorrow. But the possibility of walking into an abomination in the middle of the night was still too much of a risk. Tech agreed they'd better be safe than sorry. If not for himself - he was too restless to sleep - then for the others.
Same as the night before, they were all too tired to stay up long. And their covered position meant they didn't even need to stay up to keep watch.
Tech tossed and turned in the tent, feeling the warmth radiate off Wilbur next to him. He was asleep, lying on his side with his back facing Tech. And all Tech could think about is how much he dreaded tomorrow.
Phil would expect him to have made up his mind by the time they reached the city. Tech knew that. And Phil also wanted him to stay. Tommy and Wilbur probably hoped he would as well.
Tech… Tech wanted to stay too.
He wanted to stay more than anything in this world. Which was also exactly why he couldn't stay.
It was scary, how much he wished he could stay. But he also knew how quickly one week could turn into one month could turn into one year. How could he stay, knowing he would have to fight his own heart every step of the way, trying to prevent comfort from taking root? The longer he stayed, the harder leaving would become. And he had to leave eventually, that much was a guarantee.
Because every moment not spent out on the road looking for his family, was a moment of him being unloyal to them. He couldn't stop searching until he found out definitively what happened to them.
Tech could not claim to love them and abandoned them in the same breath.
It was enough to paralyze him, lying awake and letting it antagonize him. And it would only get worse if he went to the city with them.
So there was only one thing Tech could do, wasn't there?
The night air was cold and sharp, unlike the breeze had been during the day. Tech clasped the cloak around his shoulders and drew up his hood to keep warm. His backpack was heavy, his pocket even more so with Tommy's pebbles weighing him down. His other pocket was empty because Tech was wearing the earrings.
He looked at the camp one more time, before turning around and running off into the darkness.
Tech wanted to be far away enough that they couldn't find him if they woke up early.
Part of him doubted it mattered, who was to say they'd even come looking for him? But also one pleading look from any of them would be enough to make him stay. And while Tech hated himself for it, he couldn't risk it.
He sped up his step, pulse rapid. Every inch of him was screaming to go back, so he could only pray distance would make that feeling less painful.
Except he didn't get much further before he physically ran into somebody.
Tech stumbled back, almost tripping in his haste. The stranger he walked into grabbed his arm to keep him from falling.
"Oh dear, are you alright?" Her voice was light, yet strained slightly because she herself had been running.
"I'm fine," Tech said, too startled by bumping into a random human in the middle of nowhere at night to really react appropriately.
"Wait, you are him!" She reached out and drew back his hood to see his face better. "Techno?!" Then she pulled him into a hug.
His entire body was pretty much locked up awkwardly, which made the woman let go and smile apologetically. "Sorry, it's just- Gods, it's good to meet you after hearing so much about you. Don't worry, Wilbur and Tommy can expect the same reception."
"You're Kristin," Tech said.
If the grey-purple eyes hadn't given it away, the words coming out of her mouth would have. Kristin smiled, dark curls falling over her shoulder as she tilted her head a bit. Her cheeks were flushed, which Tech could tell was because she was also running just like him.
"Oh, I heard from Phil how close to town you guys were and just couldn't stand waiting any longer." She hadn't let go of his shoulders, looking at him fondly. But then she seemed to notice they ran into each other far away from camp, a small crease between her eyebrow betraying the exact moment she realized that. "Why aren't you with the others."
"I'm leaving," Tech said.
Her hands didn't fall from his shoulders. There was no judgment on her face. "Is that so?"
Tech nodded, fiddling with the hem of his cloak. "I need to move on." The words felt heavy on his tongue, like ash. Bitter and unwanted.
Kristin had a sad, soft smile on her face when she answered. "'Move on', huh? Moving on is hard. Are you sure you want to do this on your own?"
And it was strange how those words felt like they were spoken to Tech's very soul - granting him an intrinsic understanding of their meaning. Kristin wasn't only talking about the literal, physical kind of moving on. Tech swallowed.
It felt like a punch to the gut, honestly.
"I don't know if there's another way," he admitted.
"Another way than doing it by yourself?" Kristin asked.
Tech could only nod. He didn't want to talk again and have his voice break.
"Because you're scared that doing it any other way means betraying your family," Kristin concluded. Her hand reached up, cupping his chin. Tech allowed her to raise his head and use a thumb to rub the tears from his cheek. He hadn't even noticed when he started crying. "Dear, you have been so strong for so long."
"I want to find them," Tech sobbed out. "I want to find out what happened to them."
Not knowing was torture.
"You will," Kristin promised. "One way or another. But many roads lead to the same destination. And you don't need to walk the most punishing one because you think you deserve it."
Her words were kind. Tech had never talked to her before, yet found himself instinctively believing she was speaking the truth.
"Then what should I do?" he asked.
"You should do what you feel is the right thing to do," Kristin said. "I just think you should try to find the difference between what you feel is right, and what you think must be right because you're unable to forgive yourself for something that isn't your fault."
When she pulled him in for another embrace, he simply melted into it.
A shiver ran down Tech's spine, and while it wasn't the cold of the night, it made Kristin huff a laugh. "For my part, I think we should go back to the camp before we both freeze out here."
Tech nodded. "Y-yeah I… think that's a good idea."
It didn't have to be forever. It didn't even have to be for a very long time.
But for now, he would stay.