"Yeah?" Tal perked up at hearing that the elder Carpenter had been a woodworker - the name should have been a clue, but sometimes he was a little slow on the pickup. "I learned it from my aunt," he chipped in, jerking his chin towards the dining table that he'd made of burnished cherry wood. "He sounds a lot like my dad, 'cept mine didn't do much more'n whittlin'. He was more th'soldierly type." Tal got his artistic talents from his mother's side of the family, for sure.
"Wait, you've got sisters, too?" Tal paused in his hammering to step back and examine the results so far, but he also glanced at Koa with a lopsided grin of unexpected brotherhood. "Well, one. Which is more'n enough if she's anythin' like mine!" His grin faded alongside Koa's smile and he cleared his throat a little awkwardly before leaning in to bump his shoulder against his pal's in silent solidarity for things that would never be the same again.
The followup question brought a smile back to his face. He wasn't really built for 'sunny' but the expression was uncharacteristically soft as he ducked his head and went to grab a few more nails. "Ah. Well. Y'know. Th'usual way?" Which didn't explain anything, so good job Tal. Realizing that, he cleared his throat again and headed for a different wall to begin tackling the decorations on that side. "Ran into her in a tavern in Halo when she was fresh outta th'Grounds. She offered t'do a readin' for me an' I was kinda... skeptical." His ears warmed now at the memory in lingering embarrassment of how dumb he'd been, but at least he hadn't been rude. "Was one o' th'rare times I didn't put my whole damn foot in my mouth, though. We kept runnin' into each other after that an' became friends, an' then she wanted t'see more o'Caido an' I had a skyboat an'... well... one thing kinda led t'another?" He glanced back, his smile turning sheepish. "I figured out I was happier when she was with me'n when she wasn't. So... I asked her t'make it official an' for some reason she agreed. We'll be comin' up on a year t'gether, th'end o'Deepfrost."
"Wait, you've got sisters, too?" Tal paused in his hammering to step back and examine the results so far, but he also glanced at Koa with a lopsided grin of unexpected brotherhood. "Well, one. Which is more'n enough if she's anythin' like mine!" His grin faded alongside Koa's smile and he cleared his throat a little awkwardly before leaning in to bump his shoulder against his pal's in silent solidarity for things that would never be the same again.
The followup question brought a smile back to his face. He wasn't really built for 'sunny' but the expression was uncharacteristically soft as he ducked his head and went to grab a few more nails. "Ah. Well. Y'know. Th'usual way?" Which didn't explain anything, so good job Tal. Realizing that, he cleared his throat again and headed for a different wall to begin tackling the decorations on that side. "Ran into her in a tavern in Halo when she was fresh outta th'Grounds. She offered t'do a readin' for me an' I was kinda... skeptical." His ears warmed now at the memory in lingering embarrassment of how dumb he'd been, but at least he hadn't been rude. "Was one o' th'rare times I didn't put my whole damn foot in my mouth, though. We kept runnin' into each other after that an' became friends, an' then she wanted t'see more o'Caido an' I had a skyboat an'... well... one thing kinda led t'another?" He glanced back, his smile turning sheepish. "I figured out I was happier when she was with me'n when she wasn't. So... I asked her t'make it official an' for some reason she agreed. We'll be comin' up on a year t'gether, th'end o'Deepfrost."
