There was no way she hadn't noticed his little accident, but at least she didn't mention it or, worse, offer to help him. Tal tugged his tunic to straighten it, giving Maea's back a look of grudging gratitude and actually listening as she gave her lecture on the importance of dead trees filled with scribbles."Y'sound like my old teacher," he admitted in a voice that was gruff but not mocking. "Guess it's alright, though. My sister Mal'd prob'ly love this place." A much more scholarly Seawright, was Mallory, second-eldest of the four siblings and a fiend for numbers and books.
Down the stairway they went, and Tal's shoulders hunched higher with every step until they practically touched his ears. The fading scowl returned as he looked around jerkily before choosing to keep his eyes glued to the back of Maea's pale head. He stopped when she did, and had just taken a breath and started to force himself straight when the silence from inside the door became obvious, and the crack it was opened revealed no one inside. He glanced over his shoulder at the sound of soft footsteps, and his hopes were dashed before they could even rise. This was obviously no 'Ms. Thrushwick' approaching, but before he could open his mouth Maea had stepped forward to take the lead.
Dark brows beetled together at the mention of an accident and Tal shared a look with Maea as the story came to light. As the young man moved away the courier shrugged, tense but stubborn. "Let's go see. I'll feel better t'get it dropped off right away. An' I know a thing or two about shelves," he added ruefully, thinking of all the shelving he'd built in recent years as he'd fixed up his delivery stations around Caido, including in the Grounds.
Falling in behind Maea again, he followed her towards the archives, though one thought did make his steps pause briefly. "So, uh... what's a 'paper wasp'?"
Down the stairway they went, and Tal's shoulders hunched higher with every step until they practically touched his ears. The fading scowl returned as he looked around jerkily before choosing to keep his eyes glued to the back of Maea's pale head. He stopped when she did, and had just taken a breath and started to force himself straight when the silence from inside the door became obvious, and the crack it was opened revealed no one inside. He glanced over his shoulder at the sound of soft footsteps, and his hopes were dashed before they could even rise. This was obviously no 'Ms. Thrushwick' approaching, but before he could open his mouth Maea had stepped forward to take the lead.
Dark brows beetled together at the mention of an accident and Tal shared a look with Maea as the story came to light. As the young man moved away the courier shrugged, tense but stubborn. "Let's go see. I'll feel better t'get it dropped off right away. An' I know a thing or two about shelves," he added ruefully, thinking of all the shelving he'd built in recent years as he'd fixed up his delivery stations around Caido, including in the Grounds.
Falling in behind Maea again, he followed her towards the archives, though one thought did make his steps pause briefly. "So, uh... what's a 'paper wasp'?"
