"Yeah, well, I'm a Seawright, ain't I?" Tal mumbled, ducking his head and shifting his weight awkwardly at the compliments to his work ethic. His definitely subtle way to change the topic and turn the conversation back to the stranger a moment later even seemed to be working!
...Right up until the damned spook showed up and shattered the tentative peace of the afternoon. No matter how sensible her soothing words were, Tal was anything but 'easy' about how the Enenra had played with his emotions, reaching into his chest and hooking its claws into his heartstrings before yanking on them and breaking open old scars that he'd thought long-since healed.
But it was gone before he could do anything about it, leaving his frustration no other outlet than impotent violence and harmless curses.
"Yeah, well, it did get t'me an' it can go fuck itself," he fumed, hands balled into fists as he scowled out across the sunlit hills it had disappeared back into. He roughly swiped his knuckles under his nose, blinking away the sting in his eyes before realizing that the woman had moved in front of him and was offering his shovel back. Her calming words finally seemed to start sinking in as he looked down at the tool and then took it with a hand that still had a little shake in it.
He resolutely pretended not to see it.
"...'anks," he mumbled gruffly, the gratitude slipping out with prickly reluctance as he glared down at the rose bush that was the cause of it all so he didn't accidentally glare at her instead. "Yeah, s'okay. I know a few Ancients. Doesn't bother me." Which was only a small lie, and one he shoved aside as he jammed the shovel back into the hole to lever out some more dirt, flinging it with unnecessary vitriol in the direction the Enenra had vanished.
"Uh. So what're y'doin' here, anyways?"
...Right up until the damned spook showed up and shattered the tentative peace of the afternoon. No matter how sensible her soothing words were, Tal was anything but 'easy' about how the Enenra had played with his emotions, reaching into his chest and hooking its claws into his heartstrings before yanking on them and breaking open old scars that he'd thought long-since healed.
But it was gone before he could do anything about it, leaving his frustration no other outlet than impotent violence and harmless curses.
"Yeah, well, it did get t'me an' it can go fuck itself," he fumed, hands balled into fists as he scowled out across the sunlit hills it had disappeared back into. He roughly swiped his knuckles under his nose, blinking away the sting in his eyes before realizing that the woman had moved in front of him and was offering his shovel back. Her calming words finally seemed to start sinking in as he looked down at the tool and then took it with a hand that still had a little shake in it.
He resolutely pretended not to see it.
"...'anks," he mumbled gruffly, the gratitude slipping out with prickly reluctance as he glared down at the rose bush that was the cause of it all so he didn't accidentally glare at her instead. "Yeah, s'okay. I know a few Ancients. Doesn't bother me." Which was only a small lie, and one he shoved aside as he jammed the shovel back into the hole to lever out some more dirt, flinging it with unnecessary vitriol in the direction the Enenra had vanished.
"Uh. So what're y'doin' here, anyways?"
