[o] [SE] everything that we should be

Maea

And I hope that you don't suffer
But take the pain

Maea nodded slowly, her eyes warm with understanding. Some wounds never fully healed. She still had moments of waking in a cold sweat, fumbling a mental hand along the bond just to reassure herself that Shii really existed at the other end of it. Too vividly she recalled the yawning void during the wisp's absence, and how it continually ate at her. At least Sohalia knew that it was possible to get Tarak back, if that's what she ultimately wanted. Maea and Shii, Alys and Sascha stood as evidence that Mort could be persuaded - yet it was also not a guarantee. Perhaps that was why Maea didn't suggest it. She wouldn't wish for the young woman to fall into obsession with waiting, not if she had the fortitude to keep going. And she did; Maea was sure of it. Had she not endured so many other things up until now? This loss was not the one to break her.

Smiling with encouragement at the girl's conclusion, Maea gestured lightly between the two of them. "You have one here, for starters. If you ever need anything, I'll do what I can to help. The Greatwood will be there for you too, whenever you wish to return." Whether for a few days, a season or forever; that was not going to change.

Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay