There was noise outside the skyboat; the sounds of a busy skyport, with crews loading crates of goods into holds and passengers heading to or from their ships. The hull of the Peregrine muffled the noise, however, providing at least a slight haven from the world as they shared their grief and came to terms with the loss of a precious member of their family - and of a piece of Alys's very soul, now taken to Mort far too soon.
It was impossible to him to think that any of it could have been Alys's fault, however. He knew that he could never harm Boreal or knowingly put her in harm's way, but Caido was not a gentle world and harm had a way of happening to even the most careful of its inhabitants. The arrival of the Void and its twisted effects on the flora and fauna, turning them strange and more aggressive than usual, only made that even more true.
If Sascha's loss had not already broken his heart, the dull emptiness in Alys's voice would have done so as she began to speak. "Hey, hey, I've got you," he murmured by rote, wrapping his arms more tightly around her to try and quell her shivering. He didn't try to interrupt beyond that, letting Alys speak and rocking them both gently as the words came tumbling out of his partner until they turned back into sobs. He kissed her hair, heedless of the tears that started to flow fresh down his own cheeks. "It's..." He trailed off, choking on the word fine before it even made it past his throat. It wasn't fine, and it would never be fine, and he wouldn't insult either of them by lying about it. "It's not your fault," he said again instead, voice rough with all the force of his emotion that he put behind the words, willing Alys to believe him. "Y'didn't know. Couldn't've known. An' she... she..." He swallowed hard, muscles tensing as he growled his next words into her hair, grief twisting into something fierce and sharp in his chest and aimed right for the thrice-damned island in the Arclight. "It was th'Void-fucked yeti that killed 'er. Not you. Never you."
It was impossible to him to think that any of it could have been Alys's fault, however. He knew that he could never harm Boreal or knowingly put her in harm's way, but Caido was not a gentle world and harm had a way of happening to even the most careful of its inhabitants. The arrival of the Void and its twisted effects on the flora and fauna, turning them strange and more aggressive than usual, only made that even more true.
If Sascha's loss had not already broken his heart, the dull emptiness in Alys's voice would have done so as she began to speak. "Hey, hey, I've got you," he murmured by rote, wrapping his arms more tightly around her to try and quell her shivering. He didn't try to interrupt beyond that, letting Alys speak and rocking them both gently as the words came tumbling out of his partner until they turned back into sobs. He kissed her hair, heedless of the tears that started to flow fresh down his own cheeks. "It's..." He trailed off, choking on the word fine before it even made it past his throat. It wasn't fine, and it would never be fine, and he wouldn't insult either of them by lying about it. "It's not your fault," he said again instead, voice rough with all the force of his emotion that he put behind the words, willing Alys to believe him. "Y'didn't know. Couldn't've known. An' she... she..." He swallowed hard, muscles tensing as he growled his next words into her hair, grief twisting into something fierce and sharp in his chest and aimed right for the thrice-damned island in the Arclight. "It was th'Void-fucked yeti that killed 'er. Not you. Never you."
