Epilogue Part II: Reubens Sorrow

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--Reubens P.O.V.--

I walked along the ridge slowly, watching the sun set slowly.
It's been a month since Ruthie died, and I still haven't got over it.
Sure, it hurts less now, but time can only heal so much. In other words, it still hurts.
Ruthie's happy in heaven, I'm sure, but I'm not happy when she isn't by my side. I miss her a lot. I didn't know I would miss Zuriel this much either, I never really liked him, but I do actually miss him quite a bit.
And even with Lark here, even with spreading the color, I'm still missing part of me. I'm missing the part of me that likes being interrupted by a nine-year-old. I'm missing the piece of me that wants to teach. I'm missing a part of me that loves adventure. I'm missing only fragments, but they all add up to be a chunk of me that's gone.
I miss all the things I remember about Ruthie. I miss coloring in the hospital. I miss her begging to hang her pictures up on the wall. I miss tucking her in. I miss her coming into my room, sleepy and scared when she had a nightmare. I miss playing poker with her in my lap. I miss her and I playing Go Fish for hours on end. I miss drinking coffee with Lark while watching her read. I miss her walking around running into people and walls because her nose was in a book. I miss her glowing smile when I brought her more books. I miss dancing with her. I miss teaching her about our world. I miss all her old world references. I miss laughing in the middle of a thunderstorm at one of her hilarious jokes. I miss everything. I miss Ruthie.
I'm missing me, I'm missing Ruthie.
When I return to the tavern Lark is waiting for me, barely awake and she jerks her head up when I walk in. She jumps up, wraps her hands around my neck. I almost smile, but not quite.
I still miss her.