Sam
Did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?
"Oh, I know. Isla stops by the store regularly." Sam replied; she was one of his few friends in the Grounds that had remained over so many years (forgiving the time while she was dead, of course, but that was hardly her fault). At first he'd stocked up on medical texts for her and still would if they seemed especially interesting, but he'd learnt her true tastes over time.
He wasn't used to being assessed and the result being positive. Varus' smile and apparent happiness with his abilities came as a surprise and Sam turned his hand over before himself a couple of times, as if surprised anew to see it. "Oh. You're...welcome."
With the Gourds seemingly gone for the moment, they could begin to head back. Sam spent most of the walk feeling a little better about himself than he usually did, as if he might actually be of use to his family in the upcoming years.
{FIN}
