She was a porcelain goddess in her own right, leading strays down the road of salvation to the light of the gods she served. The pulsing, homely brightness at the base of her horn was only a lamp to him, something to look for in the darkness of his mind. A firefly to follow out of the swamp and muck of his indiscretion, to a better life. She was an angel, her wings merely cosmic, unseen. A portion of his mind was reserved to the mute wonderings of his subconscious. He balked to see her unquestioned devoutness, her easy faithfulness. Perhaps it was because he was the one used to being relied upon, or the old teachings of his sire that claimed weakness was shown in having to lean upon others. He was baffled by her lack of questions, her acceptance, and yet he envied them equally.

Soft vocals turned his head, a mother with a gentle grasp round the chin of her child, turning their head to see her face and hear her words. Understanding of the trials and tribulations, the reasoning behind why the child turned its head away, agonized over the truth that the mother spoke. Soft pressure, unrelenting even in its kindness, telling the child that even though she understands, there is also no escape from what it is she has to say. So he turns his cheek to her, eyes flickering up from beneath pale lashes, seeking the wisdom of her face, her tongue, her body language. Older though he may be physically, mentally he was the child and she the mother, and in some ways it was everything Kaj needed without even understanding the words she gave to him, a gift. It was the one thing he'd always wanted, the one figure he'd always lacked in life. A parental figure, or even one who cared to realize that despite all his strength, he still needed someone to guide him forth. Someone to rely upon. All connections to their herds aside, Kaj wondered if maybe she'd care to be that for him, spiritually at least.

"And when I do? When I can peer inside myself and be content with what I see?" he sought her tone, her lyrics, a desperate man on a limb reaching for her outstretched hand. "I suspect that I can seek personal growth...but when I am whole? How do I find that relationship with him? How can I rely upon him, when I am so little to him? How do I have the trust to lean upon him figuratively when he could care less that I do?" To Kaj there was no other option, no path he could pursue aside the one he'd already taken. The shrine he knelt at, broken in its state though it was, was already the destination he'd arrived at in his mind. Time in all its cruelty had taken the watch of his sister's life and wound it down to nothingness, and the Moon had already shown her hand and cards to him. Even if she hadn't, she was too far away, too isolated, for the King to find real faith in her. The Earth, perhaps. Though why Kaj had chosen the Sun over the Earth was beyond him, it was still the Sun's shrine that had drawn him. Ophelia would likely understand whom he spoke of, regardless.

Shale clings to knees and shins as he rises, but he does not move to brush them away. They are beautiful reminders of this new hour, this transformative bundle of moments in which he turned inside and found the balm that could heal his wounds. Her voice was soft with affection, he presumed, her face still like glassy water. A far better look upon her than the crumpled brow and pinched, contemplative lips. Fondness suited her. His crown bowed in return to her motion, returning the gift she'd given him, the respect he did not deserve. Or perhaps he did, for though he'd fallen prostrate upon the ground, helpless and woeful, he was seeking a better life for himself. For that, maybe he could still be respected. The bitter drawl of his father's voice in the back of his mind would simply have to silence itself.

"The pleasure is mine," he rumbled, sincerity colored in the crevices of his chords. A sheepish smile tugged his lips at her compliment, ducking his head and flickering his eyes away from her opposingly painted ones. Compliments were rare for the king, and he was humble and shy beneath them in a way his father would have abhorred. "I find that honesty is often the best tactic in this world. Our lives are so short; lies, in their rare necessity, don't do much to grant me a wholeness of living. Though I thank you for your kind words. They are sparse in my world." And further she lifts his heart, in ways only Kaj could truly appreciate. That she trusted him to look out for her sister and friend, found him fit to be their guide, was the greatest gift she could have given to the humble king. "They need little watching over," he rumbled amusedly, a fond smile on his own lips this turn. "It is I who holds the honor, that they find me to be a good enough man to lead them. I only hope to remain so." Pale eyes flickered towards the shrine, caught and remained for a few precious moments. Returned to the pale maiden with her bloodied hair. "It is why I came here tonight."

@[Ophelia]