"Don't stop; keep walking forth," in short.

[he pauses, letting his fingers move to lace with hers as he thinks of how to explain it... it's deceptively simple, really.]

.. I almost stoppd, once. Truly stop, I mean. Tragedy called forth the Earl and the selfish actions I made then turned that tragedy into despair. The kind where moving forward is the absolute last thing on your mind.

Bur Master was there the whole while, said those words and reminded me... Mana, as strange as he was, as sad as his life was... he managed to keep moving forward in the hopes of seeing his brother again--something he probably knew was impossible, that's impossible for sure, now.

I think about it and I think... it's been the little things... little by little... that make it worth it in the end. And if someone keeps moving forward, especially on a path less travelled, they end up in places they never would have thought possible at the start.

[case in point: brings her hand up so he can kiss its knuckles.]

So I keep being thankful for moments like these. They're what actually matter, in the end. What helps with putting one foot in front of the other.