Tal carried the too-light, too-still form of the little ursur cradled in his arms as if to shield even those from the cruelties of the world. His heart thudded against his ribs with every step, a poignant counterpoint to the tears that leaked from his eyes. By the time they reached the cellar his nose had begun to run as well. It didn't make the trip down the stairs any easier, but even without his Goggles he knew every step by feel more than sight. He'd built them, after all, with Alys's help, after the house had been completed. His home was with her and on the Peregrine, but this place was a close third.
"Yeah," he mumbled back with a sniffle, clearing his throat as he moved through the dark with careful steps. The light from above filtered down, pale and gray and not reaching the deepest corners of the cellar, but he barely needed that much. He wasn't going to hide Sascha away in some cobwebbed corner, though he paused, hesitating as he looked around. The shadows were a physical weight on his back in a way they'd never been before and he had to suppress a shiver as he stood there, seeking a place to lay the companion's remains.
In the end he chose a section of table that would hold glass jars in the fall, waiting to be filled with preserves and foods that could be stored through the winter. Now, in Flowerbirth, the table was mostly empty, and he laid the linen-wrapped bundle of pelt and bones gently on it. Easy to collect, when Alys was ready to return to Mort, but out of the way and off the cold floor. Tal sniffed again and went back to Alys, unsure of what to do with his hands until he cleaned them. "I'll head up first. Give you a minute, if y'need it." He leaned down to press his forehead to hers briefly before heading back up the stairs. If Alys joined him, he would pull her into an embrace once they were back in the light.
If not, he would give her as long as she needed with the body of her companion, who would - Mort willing - soon be whole and well and with them all again soon.
~Fin
"Yeah," he mumbled back with a sniffle, clearing his throat as he moved through the dark with careful steps. The light from above filtered down, pale and gray and not reaching the deepest corners of the cellar, but he barely needed that much. He wasn't going to hide Sascha away in some cobwebbed corner, though he paused, hesitating as he looked around. The shadows were a physical weight on his back in a way they'd never been before and he had to suppress a shiver as he stood there, seeking a place to lay the companion's remains.
In the end he chose a section of table that would hold glass jars in the fall, waiting to be filled with preserves and foods that could be stored through the winter. Now, in Flowerbirth, the table was mostly empty, and he laid the linen-wrapped bundle of pelt and bones gently on it. Easy to collect, when Alys was ready to return to Mort, but out of the way and off the cold floor. Tal sniffed again and went back to Alys, unsure of what to do with his hands until he cleaned them. "I'll head up first. Give you a minute, if y'need it." He leaned down to press his forehead to hers briefly before heading back up the stairs. If Alys joined him, he would pull her into an embrace once they were back in the light.
If not, he would give her as long as she needed with the body of her companion, who would - Mort willing - soon be whole and well and with them all again soon.
~Fin
