Tal's grin quirked wryly as Boreal and Cat bonded over scritches. "Just keep doin' what you're doin' an' never stop," he suggested, half-teasing. "She's just a big softie. It's some o' th'smaller ones y'have t'watch out for!" Kind of like dogs; the big companions tended to be calmer and friendlier in his experience, while the little ones could be friendly or... well, kind of standoffish and overprotective.
But the subject of Starfall wiped all humor from his face as he recounted the difficult days in its immediate aftermath. He wasn't sure how to react at hearing that her mother was dead and her family house was gone but... she didn't seem too upset about either situation so he settled for shoving his hands deeper in his pockets and rocking back on his heels.
Something about her bright determination reminded him of another young woman, one who had been missing for far too long, and his breath caught in his throat. He had to swallow several times as she mentioned lost loved ones as if reading his mind, and he just nodded jerkily at her suggestion to walk. He freed a hand to gesture towards the docks and began to amble that direction with her as they left the party behind. "Yeah... yeah, sure. Th'docks an' th'skyport were completely wiped out by th'tidal wave, so th'buildin's are only a year old now..." He hesitated then shrugged. "An' after that my partner an' I built our house in King's End. But I'm gone so often makin' deliveries around Caido an' lookin' for people missin' since Starfall that I'm hardly ever there so..." Another shrug as his feet shuffled over the sand in the direction of Kaiholo Port.
But the subject of Starfall wiped all humor from his face as he recounted the difficult days in its immediate aftermath. He wasn't sure how to react at hearing that her mother was dead and her family house was gone but... she didn't seem too upset about either situation so he settled for shoving his hands deeper in his pockets and rocking back on his heels.
Something about her bright determination reminded him of another young woman, one who had been missing for far too long, and his breath caught in his throat. He had to swallow several times as she mentioned lost loved ones as if reading his mind, and he just nodded jerkily at her suggestion to walk. He freed a hand to gesture towards the docks and began to amble that direction with her as they left the party behind. "Yeah... yeah, sure. Th'docks an' th'skyport were completely wiped out by th'tidal wave, so th'buildin's are only a year old now..." He hesitated then shrugged. "An' after that my partner an' I built our house in King's End. But I'm gone so often makin' deliveries around Caido an' lookin' for people missin' since Starfall that I'm hardly ever there so..." Another shrug as his feet shuffled over the sand in the direction of Kaiholo Port.
