Claire heard the knock at the door and rose from reading her book. She turned down the corner of the page, dogearing it without concern and laid it on the table. It didn't shock her that Gilean was her visitor. She had not informed anyone else of her recent home acquisition. The Stones had placed the property up for purchase, though part of the agreement was not to disturb the previous owner's grave in the back garden. Emalia could rest there as long as she needed. Claire had no qualms.
She opened the door, admitting Gilean to the cozy living room. "I wanted to talk to you... about what happened," he began. "You aren't happy with me."
'No. I am not. But that happens in life.'
Well, it means a lot to me that you aren't. I care about your opinion of me.
'I don't have much of an opinion of you, Gilean. I've simply decided I didn't know you very well and so I retract any thought I had of you previously.
It's hard to explain exactly what I felt. But the death pulled to me so heavily.
That frustrated Claire, but she retained her soft voice as she stared at the fireplace. 'If you are attempting to justify what you've done, it will not work. Many in the realms have their lives unjustly taken. Perhaps you'd like to go resurrect all of them as well?'
What if I could? Would that be wrong to do so? Gilean asked.
'I believe you went forward with something that had consequences that you did not even think about, Gilean. Now you have a woman who can't remember anything with a husband who must live with all of that - He can see her, touch her, talk to her, and she doesn't know him. Is that not worse than death? Is that not worse than letting him bury her and live with memories? There are consequences! Would she have been any more dead had you waited to think them through?'
No. I got... caught up, Gilean replied.
'That is what I would consider an understatement.'
She knew Gilean felt bad for what he had done. She could see remorse written on his face. It didn't make her feel superior or pleased - part of her wanted to go to him and offer a hug, but the other part was angry. If he wanted to give an apology, she was not the one to give it to. 'I would suggest,' she said, 'that if you wish to do something, you go ask them. There is nothing here that you can do.'
I will prove myself to you Claire. It's very important to me.
'You've nothing to prove or disprove, Gilean.'
Claire escorted Gilean to the door and closed it slowly behind him. She leaned her head against the door with a sigh. 'Things are as they are and will be as they will,' she repeated. She walked back to the couch and picked up her book once more. She reread the same section over and over again, not seeing the words for seeing the pain etched on Gilean's face at her disapproval.
