2024-07-18 - [ 5-2 ] grin, bear

That her mother retained such an unwavering notion of duty and propriety in spite of the circumstances wasn’t lost on Synnevath. Before, in the throes of infantile egocentricity, she might have been incensed to see Gwillanth so indisposed to focus solely on her. Now it was nothing less than an epiphany, these notions she bore witness to now. To hold fast as Gwillanth did... well, this was not the first time the gold dragon multitasked her attentions (the sun shines on many things), and Synnevath had (mercifully) developed a semblance of good grace to sense now was a time to be a quiet observer.

This sense of duty that Gwillanth maintained, even in spite of the hurt in her heart and body, seemed to be a rare example of true inner strength. For Gwillanth to give such grace to her impetuous junior showed a great measure of maturity on Gwillanth’s part, and this benevolence was a quality that Synnevath would be wise to meditate on long after the most painful memories of this season of her life have been forgotten.

Synnevath had, for the first time, begun to think of others—not just as entities providing mental stimulation, or merely distractions for her mother. There was a complicated relationship with duty, notions that found her recalling earlier pontifications on colors, on ranks, on obligations that once seemed so foreign and unnecessary.

There was still so much to learn.