Vale looked at Eskar, eyes widening slightly, his mouth hanging open as his mind struggled to catch up with what he had just heard.
"Huh?"
The sound slipped out before he could stop it. Confusion lingered for several seconds before Vale finally forced his eyes shut and shook his head, as if trying to clear it. When he opened them again, he looked at Eskar with a mixture of disbelief and uncertainty.
"Did you just say," Vale asked slowly, his voice thick with doubt, "that you think you're in love?"
Eskar glanced at him briefly, then looked away. His eyes narrowed as he lifted his gaze to the darkening sky, stars beginning to emerge above them. An uncertain expression crossed his face, one Vale had rarely seen.
"I think so," Eskar said after a pause. "Yeah."
Vale inhaled deeply, letting the air fill his lungs as he tried to organize his thoughts. Of all people, Eskar was the last one he had expected to hear something like that from. Eskar was disciplined, reserved, someone who analyzed everything before acting. Falling in love didn't seem to fit him.
And yet, here he was.
Vale exhaled and studied him carefully. "Well… are you sure it's love?" he asked. "I mean, are you sure that's what you're feeling?"
Eskar's gaze dropped from the sky. His eyes narrowed as he looked down at the sand, and he let out a long, heavy sigh.
"I don't know," he admitted quietly. "I've never felt love before. Not from parents. Not romantically. So… I honestly don't know if what I feel can really be called love."
Vale tilted his head and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, considering Eskar's words.
Before he could respond, footsteps approached.
Drago walked past them without a word, then stopped a short distance away. He turned, lowered himself to the sand, and sat down with a tired grunt.
Vale and Eskar both looked at the old man with faintly puzzled expressions. Neither of them understood why he had chosen to sit with them now.
Silence settled between the three of them.
After a few moments, Drago sighed and extended his hand toward Eskar. "The water."
Eskar blinked, then nodded. He quickly reached into his pocket and handed over the metal bottle. "Sure."
Drago took it and drank greedily, clearly as dehydrated as the rest of them. Water spilled past his lips and ran down his face as he drank too fast to control himself.
Vale watched with a strange, unreadable expression as they waited. The old man didn't stop for several long seconds, drinking as if afraid the water might vanish if he did.
Finally, Drago lowered the bottle and took a deep breath. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then looked up at Eskar.
"What do you feel," he asked calmly, "when you think about her?"
Vale's eyes widened slightly as he realized what was happening.
Advice.
Eskar, meanwhile, went silent. He lifted a hand to his chin, brows knitting together as he searched his thoughts.
"I'm… worried," he said at last.
Drago raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
He leaned forward slightly. "What makes her important enough that you worry?"
Eskar opened his mouth immediately, then closed it again. He looked away, reconsidering his answer. Vale watched intently as the silence stretched.
After several moments, Eskar spoke again, this time with clarity.
"She cares about me," he said. "At least, I think she does. But that's not why I'm worried."
His fingers curled slightly into his palm. "When I think about her, I want to protect her. I'm afraid she's in danger… just like we are."
His voice was steady. Determined.
Vale felt something shift in his chest.
From beside them, Drago let out a quiet chuckle. "You truly are innocent," he said.
He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. "How long have you known her? This Nova?"
Eskar looked at him. "About ten years. Since I entered the academy."
Drago nodded slowly, then glanced toward Vale. "And how do you know she isn't simply a friend?" he asked. "Like Vale is to you?"
Eskar stiffened.
He closed his eyes, then opened them again, staring down at the sand with a conflicted expression. "I don't know," he admitted softly. "It just… doesn't feel the same."
Vale turned his gaze toward Eskar, memories surfacing unbidden. Nova was always with him. Always nearby. And whenever Vale had seen her, she'd looked both relieved and anxious to be at Eskar's side.
The realization settled quietly.
"Huh," Vale said after a moment, looking up at the sky. "I think the feeling might be mutual, if it really is love."
Eskar let out a soft chuckle, tinged with nervousness. "How are you so sure?"
Vale turned toward him. "From what I've seen," he said simply, "you're her favorite person."
He paused, then stood up, brushing sand from his armor. "I don't know exactly what kind of relationship you two have. But if you truly love her, don't let that feeling go to waste."
Vale placed a firm hand on Eskar's shoulder, then walked away to take first watch, planting his spear in the sand as he faced the dark horizon.
Eskar remained seated, staring down at the ground, thoughts tangled and heavy.
"Hey," Eskar called after a moment.
Vale paused and turned back. "Yeah?"
Eskar looked up at him, his expression complicated, vulnerable in a way Vale had never seen before.
"Have you," he asked quietly, "ever been in love?"
Vale didn't answer right away.
He stood there in silence, looking at Eskar as something subtle shifted across his expression. His gaze drifted, unfocused, as memories surfaced unbidden, moments half-remembered, conversations he had never lingered on long enough to examine. He let them pass without grasping at them too tightly.
Finally, instead of giving a straight answer, curiosity got the better of him.
"Do you think I have?" Vale asked, returning the question rather than answering it.
Eskar stared at him for a moment. It was the look of someone who already knew what they wanted to say but wasn't sure if they should. His lips parted slightly, then pressed together again. Hesitation lingered in his eyes.
Eventually, he gave in.
"Well…" Eskar began, then fell silent once more. After a brief pause, he continued carefully, "You and Nym look good together. Don't you think?"
Vale froze.
For a moment, his expression became utterly unreadable, caught somewhere between disbelief and confusion. He wasn't sure whether to laugh, question Eskar's sanity, or simply stare at him until the words made sense.
He ended up doing none of those things.
Nym? Him and Nym?
The thought felt foreign. Unfamiliar. They were friends, weren't they? At least, that was how Vale had always seen it. Easy conversations. Shared glances. Trust earned through battle and silence alike.
But did she see it the same way?
The question tugged at his thoughts before he could stop it. Vale blinked, then raised a hand toward Eskar in a reflexive, confused gesture.
"Wait, wait," he said, shaking his head slightly. "Why would you think that?"
Eskar didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned his head toward Drago, as if expecting the old man to respond in his place.
Several seconds passed.
Drago noticed the look and raised an eyebrow, glancing between them before speaking. "What are you staring at me for?" he asked flatly. "I wasn't the one you asked."
Eskar let out a brief chuckle, the tension easing just a little. He turned back to Vale, shrugging.
"No real reason," he said at first.
Vale lifted a brow, clearly unconvinced.
Eskar smiled faintly and continued, "It's just… she seems to like you more than others."
He paused, then added, amusement creeping into his voice, "To use your own words."
His smile widened slightly.
"You look like her favorite person."