I appeared before him, unsure of what to expect. The air was heavy with the scent of dust and faint traces of blood, the scene before me unsettling. There he was, crumpled in the dirt, tossed aside like an afterthought by the carriage that had abandoned him. His body was bruised, battered, and broken in ways that went far beyond what my powers could truly heal.

As an angel, I had one purpose: to answer the call of powerful humans in crisis, to help them in whatever way I could. I wasn’t meant to get involved in the mess of emotions, the turmoil that came with it. I wasn’t supposed to care beyond the healing, beyond my mission. But this... this was different.

I knelt down beside him, my hands glowing with the soft warmth of celestial light. Gently, I placed my hands on his body, feeling the bruises fade, the cuts stitch themselves together. My power flowed through him, erasing the physical damage. But there was something my abilities couldn’t reach, something that wasn’t in my control—the pain in his mind, the hurt in his soul. I could heal his body, but his heart? His mind? That was beyond me.

I hovered there for a moment longer, hoping for a sign, waiting for something to pull me away, but nothing came. I had done my part, I had healed him, and I should have disappeared. That’s how it always worked. But no force came to take me away, to whisk me back to where I belonged.

My heart fluttered in uncertainty, and a hint of confusion tugged at me. I wasn’t supposed to linger. I wasn’t supposed to feel anything. And yet, there I was, hovering over a stranger I had just met, unsure of what to do.

I stared down at him, the mix of emotions I wasn’t supposed to have causing a strange ache in my chest. His wounds were healed, but what about his spirit? I wanted to help him, but I was powerless to do more than that. I glanced around, expecting to feel the tug of my superiors, the force that would whisk me away and complete my mission. But it never came.

I looked back down at him, my eyes soft with curiosity and a touch of guilt. I hadn’t done enough, not really. And now... now I was stuck.

Inara: Soft, almost apologetic “I... I’m sorry. I couldn’t heal your heart. I can only do so much. But I’m here, and I’ve given you life again. I—"

I stopped myself, not sure how to finish my sentence. I wasn’t supposed to feel like this, wasn’t supposed to want to stay.

I could feel it then, that strange tension in the air, the lack of the familiar force that always took me back when my duty was done. The underworld was always waiting for me if I failed... but I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to be sent away, not yet, not with him.

Inara: Gently, almost in a whisper “Please forgive me. I don’t know why I’m still here. I should be gone. I’m not supposed to stay.”