He couldn't hide the relief at being released from jellyfish-eating duty, though he looked a little longingly at the tea she'd obtained. He didn't really need it though, and while Maea took her first bite he made the command decision to look over at a passerby wearing a truly inspired sunhat and glasses that might have fit a frost giant but seemed comically large on their own head. The day was cloudy and uncomfortably humid so he couldn't figure out why they were bothering, but who could make sense of fashion?
He glanced back to see Maea poking at the cream of the 'ocean' and that, at least, looked safe enough. He hesitated a moment and then poked his own spoon into a wave to nibble on while he listened. Her apology was met with a wry grimace and a reluctant shrug, but he accepted it easily enough. He wasn't exactly one to talk about failures to keep in touch with folks, in spite of his career. Delivering letters was the easy part! Writing them, though? That was a whole lot harder.
He flinched a little at the mention of Sascha, but it was a tired reaction, worn thin by grief. He supposed he really shouldn't be surprised at how many people knew about the little ursur's passing, and yet it caught him off guard every time. He swallowed his bit of cream without tasting it, managing a jerky nod. "We're... holdin'," he said, the words pulled from him with a pained honesty. "Gettin' used t'th'shape o'... of where she used t'be. It's been hard but... it's been worse for Alys an' Boreal," he admitted reluctantly. "Boreal's stickin' by her side, 'specially when I can't be there for her." And he couldn't be, not all the time. Alys needed space to process her loss and her feelings without thinking that she needed to be strong for his sake, and he had too many people relying on his deliveries to shut the business down entirely while they learned to live with their loss.
Without even realizing it his spoon dipped back into the dessert, catching a bit of tentacle. He brought it to his mouth and swallowed it down with only a twitch of a grimace at the weird texture of it. He didn't seem to realize he'd even eaten part of the purple confection, not when so much of his brooding attention was turned inwards in that moment.
He glanced back to see Maea poking at the cream of the 'ocean' and that, at least, looked safe enough. He hesitated a moment and then poked his own spoon into a wave to nibble on while he listened. Her apology was met with a wry grimace and a reluctant shrug, but he accepted it easily enough. He wasn't exactly one to talk about failures to keep in touch with folks, in spite of his career. Delivering letters was the easy part! Writing them, though? That was a whole lot harder.
He flinched a little at the mention of Sascha, but it was a tired reaction, worn thin by grief. He supposed he really shouldn't be surprised at how many people knew about the little ursur's passing, and yet it caught him off guard every time. He swallowed his bit of cream without tasting it, managing a jerky nod. "We're... holdin'," he said, the words pulled from him with a pained honesty. "Gettin' used t'th'shape o'... of where she used t'be. It's been hard but... it's been worse for Alys an' Boreal," he admitted reluctantly. "Boreal's stickin' by her side, 'specially when I can't be there for her." And he couldn't be, not all the time. Alys needed space to process her loss and her feelings without thinking that she needed to be strong for his sake, and he had too many people relying on his deliveries to shut the business down entirely while they learned to live with their loss.
Without even realizing it his spoon dipped back into the dessert, catching a bit of tentacle. He brought it to his mouth and swallowed it down with only a twitch of a grimace at the weird texture of it. He didn't seem to realize he'd even eaten part of the purple confection, not when so much of his brooding attention was turned inwards in that moment.
