Devotia Ch. 20: Compersion

Calvin perks up. "Should I leave?"

"You're not going anywhere either," she commands sweetly. "If I don't get to sleep between the two of you I'm summoning Gloriana and going out there."

"Then I guess I have to stay."

Junivere leans in to kiss her quickly. "Let me break the news to Silas and I'll be back." She rises to retrieve her dress, throwing it on without much care for how put together she looks, and slips out of the room.

Calvin presses his lips into the top of Callie's head and releases a relaxed exhale. After a moment, he asks, "How's that going?"

"Surprisingly well," she shrugs. "I would never have believed it, but June says he's just like the perfect version of himself that she first knew - except that's just who he is now. All the time."

To her surprise, Calvin makes a disbelieving noise. "I'm not sure I'm convinced. Men like that don't really change."

Callie rolls over and furrows her brows at him. "A surprisingly pessimistic opinion from you."

"I just think that when it comes to-,"

A knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Callie sighs. Gloriana had never come calling earlier, and Callie figures the paladin must have been delayed by some unfortunate circumstance. Not a problem, she figures, if there was a night to arrive late, this was a good one. She throws on a clean dress and rushes to the door.

But rather than the paladin come knocking, Callie opens it to be greeted with Silas' towering height.

"Oh, Junivere was just going to see you," she says tiredly. "You must've just missed her."

"Really?" He gazes down the hall, looking to see if she might still be nearby. When he turns back, he seems relieved she's not in sight. "I was actually hoping I might borrow a moment of your time."

"My time?"

His voice drops a little quieter. "I was hoping I could get your advice. May I come in?"

She purses her lips, curious, but shakes her head. "I presently have company. Can it wait?"

"I'd really like to speak about it before I see her again." He makes an apologetic expression. "I wouldn't insist if it wasn't important."

Callie sighs, but accepts this. She holds up a finger and ducks back inside, briefly catching Calvin up to speed.

"I can leave, if you'd rather speak here," he says.

Callie grins and denies the idea immediately. "I'd rather my bed still be warm from your body. Stay, I'll just be a few rooms over."

She shuts the door behind her and enters the hallway, gesturing for Silas to follow her down. She feels a little awkward beside him, in small part for how much shorter she is than him, but more importantly because they've never spoken without Junivere present.

In truth, Callie wasn't sure what she felt about Silas. She harbors a general distrust of him, still, but Junivere was so insistent that things were going well she had been trying to be happy for them.

"So, what did you want to ask me about?"

He clears his throat, speaking quietly and with a patter of nerves in his voice. "Well, as you might expect, it's about Junivere." He pauses. "It has been a delight to be with her again, to get a chance to do right by her in the way I ought to have the first time..." He trails off. He starts and stops a few seconds as they enter the lounge room, and as Callie ignites one of the lanterns inside, his voice is full of warmth as he says, "Obviously I'm in love with her."

Rather than give into the awkward and residual jealousy of someone else loving Junivere, Callie presses forth into the same enthusiasm she wants Calvin and Junivere to have for each other. "I can tell," she smiles. "I can hear it in your voice."

"Thank you," he nods appreciatively. "I understand that it isn't easy to be in a relationship with a Devotia. It's not the most normal of circumstances." A pause. "It's... I find myself wishing I could be more than just a nighttime affair for her."

And Callie's heart moves ever-so-slightly, recognizing the same longing feeling she's so often felt with Calvin.

"I understand. You want to ask if she'd be willing to push the rules again for you."

"Just as you have with the Knight-Commander," he affirms. A second later, with a breath of panic, he adds, "I don't mean that to sound like an accusation. I admire your willingness to take risks for love." He takes another steadying breath. "You're around her more than I am, you get to see more sides of her. She trusts you. Do you believe she cares enough for me to give it a try?"

Callie considers his request, turning and taking a few steps away. In her heart, she feels a warm optimism about love, anchored by the knowledge of the full bed awaiting her. She faces away from Silas as she considers, letting her heart beat with an enthusiastic feeling of sharing. She wants Junivere to have Silas, just as she has Calvin. To have the beautiful balance of multiple loves.

"I think she may," Callie concludes, looking out a window at the twinkling lights of the city below. "I think you ought to take risks for love."

Behind her, she hears Silas take a light and excited step forward, rocking onto his toes with the gleeful energy. "Thank you, hal Devotia," he exclaims.

His boots sound out against the marble floor as he approaches, and Callie readies to turn and shake his hand, or perhaps embrace him - to accept him as a shared love for someone she loves dearly.

"You're welcom-,"

Everything grows cold, then sharp, and suddenly Callie can't breathe. Her jaw quivers as the air in her lungs sputters out of her. She feels Silas' form tower over her.

She throws a hand up to hear throat, and then the pain finally settles. She tries to scream, but the sound comes out harsh and incomplete.

A knock on the door.

The room spins.

Her body shivers and trembles.

"Hal Devotia?"

Her vision blurs.

She stumbles forward.

She's pushed to the ground.

A crashing sound cascades around her.

Then, quiet.