[ She gives a soft hum at that, her gaze flickering across the room for a moment as her expression goes distant and thoughtful. ]

I don't doubt that what I've found here is real - and so very important. I don't doubt what I can feel from them through our Bond, either. But... [ She trails off, trying to find the right words to convey what she's struggling with. ]

Before I arrived here... There's someone very important to me, back in my lands. Perhaps the most important. [ Because there was never any comparison to Hak and what he meant to her. ] I guess... I still feel a little guilty, that I'm moving in a direction without him by my side.

[ That didn't change the fact that she's been here for almost a year now - a very long and lonely year, except for her Bonded and those close friends she's made and cherishes. And it doesn't change that she has wants and longings in the here and now. ]