Sonder had never been more glad to see Vell.
In contrast to her memories, he looked a bit older, more stressed.
He was thinner, his skin was less pale, and his white hair, though it had grown a lot, had lost its luster and was mostly black.
The tips were still white.
The one feature that was as it had always been was his ruby eyes.
Sonder was overwhelmed. The only thing she thought to do was jump up and run to him.
She stretched out her arms and held him tightly.
There was some pain and aching due to her exhaustion, but she didn't care.
She worried for a second that when she reached out, it would turn out to be just an illusion; that her fingers would touch nothing but air, and that he would be nothing more than a figment of her imagination.
But her fingers met him.
They curled into the fabric of his clothes, and Sonder held on.
He was here.
He simply wrapped his arms around her.
Sonder pressed her face against him.
She could feel him.
She thought that he would be cold; that he would feel almost absent, but he was warm and soft.
She tightened her grip.
And a small sound escaped her. She was laughing and sobbing, both from happiness.
She did nothing but hold him.
All the worry she had been carrying seemed to disappear at once. The fear, the confusion, the memories she couldn't quite understand. Even the aching in her body seemed distant.
She sniffled. She held him tighter than she intended to. Her fingers trembled against his clothes.
Vell gently placed a hand on the back of her head.
His fingers moved through her hair, slowly stroking it.
Sonder closed her eyes.
She had missed him, but until this moment, she hadn't realized how much.
There had been so much time when she had been alone.
So much time when she had not known where she was, or where she was going, or whether she would ever see him again.
She had been frightened.
She had been tired.
But now here he was.
That was all that mattered.
Another sniffle.
Vell's hand continued to stroke her hair.
"Oh, my dear," he said.
His voice was calm.
There was no fear in it. No panic. No sense that something was wrong or had ever been wrong.
Sonder pulled back just enough to look at him.
"Don't fear," Vell said. "As far as I know, this is real. I am here. And you are too."
Sonder laughed and hugged him again.
Vell rested his chin lightly against the top of her head and continued caressing her.
She cold hear his breathing; feel the movement of his chest beneath his clothing.
It was just a small thing, but Sonder cherished it.
She stayed there.
She didn't want to let go, clinging to him, reluctant to let go.
To her, the world could wait.
Right now, Vell was here, and she could be with him.