out of my shell

Tal remained as oblivious on this fine Longheat day as he'd been back in Flowerbirth, never quite realizing just how much of a crush Soh had once had on him. It just... didn't happen, in his experience. He approached others and sometimes they said yes, but usually they said no. If anyone had ever liked him, well, they'd certainly never said anything blunt enough to make it through the courier's thick skull.

But what might-have-been was now firmly in the past, and Tal was focused on their present and future. The present was soon to include a dip in the newly-made hot springs, and the future held a bespoke airship ride in Soh's future. He grinned proudly at her excitement, puffing up his chest a little as Boreal chortled good-naturedly at all the attention. "You're welcome! Gettin' new maps updated with all th'new territory that opened up after the War is worth it, y'know?" He grinned over at her. "I help you make maps, an' your maps help me make deliveries faster!" Everyone won!

But that was for tomorrow. For now, the road stretched ahead towards the mounding hills that had once been towering mountains separating Halo from the Climb. "How long're you plannin' t'stay on this trip, anyways? An' where are you stayin' the night?"