The courier hesitated for a moment, searching Maea's face through the shield of his Goggles. To be sure, he made enough with his business endeavors that he didn't really want for anything these days; not like it'd been when he'd first started out. He didn't need the pretty gem, and she did... but he knew, too, the bitter sting and resentment of charity. He withdrew the treasure with a slow nod of understanding, slipping it into his pouch without trying to change her mind. "Yeah, alright."
Maea had been behind him when they'd stopped, so now she got to lead the way back, and he trailed in her wake, glancing behind them occasionally to make sure they weren't being hunted. He shut up and listened while she talked, occasionally making a noise of surprise as she dropped new information in his lap. He hadn't heard about the Fyrhund bite that wouldn't heal, or Remi's fight with an invader, although he'd been one of the first to investigate the meteor crash site and he'd run into plenty of void-touched shit between then and Starfall.
She wasn't wrong about him needing time, either. When she looked back at him, Tal's face was screwed up in a scowl of deep thought, though instincts honed on the Tundra kept him looking over his shoulder every few steps. "Um. Well. When y'put it like that..." Hearing that his ring wouldn't cleanse the void taint from an injury sent a shudder down his spine and he scowled harder. "...okay, yeah. Maybe th'risks are worth it. Got any ideas on where t'start?"
Maea had been behind him when they'd stopped, so now she got to lead the way back, and he trailed in her wake, glancing behind them occasionally to make sure they weren't being hunted. He shut up and listened while she talked, occasionally making a noise of surprise as she dropped new information in his lap. He hadn't heard about the Fyrhund bite that wouldn't heal, or Remi's fight with an invader, although he'd been one of the first to investigate the meteor crash site and he'd run into plenty of void-touched shit between then and Starfall.
She wasn't wrong about him needing time, either. When she looked back at him, Tal's face was screwed up in a scowl of deep thought, though instincts honed on the Tundra kept him looking over his shoulder every few steps. "Um. Well. When y'put it like that..." Hearing that his ring wouldn't cleanse the void taint from an injury sent a shudder down his spine and he scowled harder. "...okay, yeah. Maybe th'risks are worth it. Got any ideas on where t'start?"
