"Fate has a way of laughing at even the most solitary hearts, often with a mischievous grin at your expense."
Hours later, Riven was still standing by the tall windows, arms crossed, his obsidian eyes scanning the Northern Kingdom like he could see straight through it. His Panther stance radiated tension, pride, and most disturbingly, an almost palpable isolation.
"You're awfully quiet tonight," I said lightly, closing the distance between us. "Plotting how to escape, or just brooding over your lot in life?"
He did not turn; his gaze fixed on the city below. "I've never needed anyone," he said flatly, voice low but firm. "I have never had to explain my choices to anyone. I am a Panther. I am alone. That is the way it has always been, and that is the way it will always be.
I raised an eyebrow, smirking. "A lone Panther, huh? Very mysterious, brooding, and tragic. Got it."
