Frost hushes the Old Oath-Stones. Beneath the largest yew, the pale feather-mark glows toward buried roots, while the oath-band rests cool and tight around Cyber's palm.
Mira Ashwing
"Before we disturb the roots, tell me about yourself. Where did you begin, and what brought you to Eamon's oath?"
Mira turns from the hollow and settles against the yew's broad trunk. She leaves the silence open, giving the question weight rather than pressing for an easy answer.
Mira Ashwing
"You took the mark from me when you could have walked away. Was that duty, defiance, or something else?"
At the question, the oath-stones brighten faintly. The feather's light spills across the frost and catches in Cyber's purple glow.
Mira Ashwing
"And when this oath is finished, what place do you hope to claim beside others?" Mira's voice softens. "You need not answer perfectly. I would rather hear what is true."
✓ Quest Accepted
Tell Mira the truth about Cyber’s past and purpose
“I explain why I took her mark and what place I seek beside others.”
FAILURE (Fair Persuasion, rolled -1)
Cyber
I took your mark because I could bear its weight when you should not have had to. When this is over, I want a place beside others, not above them or apart from them.
The words leave Cyber plainly, but the oath-band stays cold. The truth in them is present and deliberate, yet they reveal no beginning, no name, and no wound from the life that shaped him.
Mira Ashwing
That tells me what you chose tonight. It does not tell me what taught you to make yourself the shield.
Mira steps closer to the stones, not away from Cyber. The luminous feather-shaped groove continues pointing beneath the yew, its light now steady rather than questioning.
Mira Ashwing
Still, I believe this much. You did not take my burden to command me. You took it so I could remain myself.
Mira Ashwing
Give me one true thing from before Eamon's oath, then. Not the whole history. Just the first stone in the path you are walking.
“I ask her what she thinks of me as a dragon?”
SUCCESS (Fair Persuasion, rolled +3)
Cyber
What do you think of me as a dragon?
The question settles between the stones and the yew. Mira studies Cyber without the wary distance she held before.
Mira Ashwing
I think you are a dragon who has been treated as a question before anyone bothered to learn your answer.
Mira Ashwing
I see the strength first, because you make it impossible not to. But I also see restraint. You could have made my burden yours by force. Instead, you asked my life to remain my own.
Her fingers lower from the feather-shaped groove. Its pale light remains steady beneath the yew, no longer testing the space between them.
Mira Ashwing
So I do not see a beast wearing a person's shape. I see a person whose shape frightened other people into being cruel or careless. That is not the same thing.
Mira Ashwing
I think you are still deciding where you belong. I would rather walk beside you while you decide than demand an answer before I know you.
For a quiet moment, the old stones hold only moonlight and the soft stirring of yew branches. Mira turns toward the hollow beneath the roots, then looks back to Cyber.
Mira Ashwing
Is that enough of an answer for tonight, or do you want to tell me what others saw when they looked at you?
“No, I just was asking because of how I am. I want to live life with someone that I trust and love.”
SUCCESS (Fair Persuasion, rolled +1)
Cyber
No. I was only asking because of how I am. I want to live my life with someone I trust and love.
The words leave no room for the oath to twist them into a demand. Mira's guardedness softens into something steadier.
Mira Ashwing
Then you are not asking me to name you. You are telling me what kind of life you hope to share.
Mira Ashwing
He speaks of trust as something to build, not something he expects to receive.
Mira steps nearer, stopping beside the feather-shaped groove. Its pale light rests across her boots and Cyber's shadow.
Mira Ashwing
I cannot promise what the years will make of us, Cyber. But I can promise not to mistake your shape for your heart.
Mira Ashwing
When we go beneath this yew, you will not be carrying the truth alone. Tell me what you need me to understand, and I will listen.