The Pain of Loss

[Thalia]

She etched the muddy circle deeper, content and distracted as a child with an idle task. The snap did not appear to cause offence. "Sorry for what? It's your dream."
Her lips twitched into a smile.

Her gaze flickered to the bodies. That was one way of course; to await the rebirth. Nimeda had an odd moral centre, but she had no inclination toward encouraging suicide. Today, at least. He might wait aeons for that new start.

"Start with the obvious. You could accept yourself. Flaws and strengths. Walk the hard road to self-improvement. See a shrink?"
She had the oddest moment of amusement, in knowing he had no idea who he was speaking to - who she was. The hubris rose and fell without full clarity of exactly why it made her smile. Strange memories drifted just out of reach.

"There are other ways too. Ancient ways. Maybe lost. Maybe not."
She tapped the side of her head with a muddy finger. "You could wake up, and it would all be gone. If we remembered every life, it would drive us all insane, yes? It's just speeding the process, I suppose. A blank slate."