Tal grinned at Alys's description of his best friend, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, y'got that right!" 'Infuriating, but' was a great way to sum up Hotaru in a nutshell. He didn't miss the wistfulness in the seer's voice, however, and he looked around for the tree he needed as an excuse for avoiding Alys's gaze when he mumbled: "Yeah, but... sometimes power costs, too." What Hotaru had lost along the way to where she was now was a higher price than anyone should have to pay.
He found the tree and they approached it to the eerie tympani of branches high overhead clashing gently in the breeze. Tal eyed the Blood Birch dubiously and pulled out his knife, then glanced back to Alys with a snort. "Sure, nothin' wrong with hopin'... as long as y'have a back-up plan in case th'world decides t'disappoint you that day." His pragmatic pessimism was delivered with wry, jaded humor, but he nodded in satisfaction when she was open to exploring other options. He turned back to the pale tree and sliced into the bark gingerly, grimacing as the warm, red sap oozed slowly to the surface.
"Hmm? Oh fuck yeah, I've barely been home in the past month," he admitted, carefully smearing the sap on the Dagger's blade until it was completely coated in red. "Busier'n a bee. Haven't had time to open the new place in Torchline, yet... but I've been thinkin' maybe I should take on an apprentice instead. At least t'get started." He slanted a look at Alys from beneath his shaggy mop of dark hair. "What about you? How's the counselin' thing goin' for you?"
He found the tree and they approached it to the eerie tympani of branches high overhead clashing gently in the breeze. Tal eyed the Blood Birch dubiously and pulled out his knife, then glanced back to Alys with a snort. "Sure, nothin' wrong with hopin'... as long as y'have a back-up plan in case th'world decides t'disappoint you that day." His pragmatic pessimism was delivered with wry, jaded humor, but he nodded in satisfaction when she was open to exploring other options. He turned back to the pale tree and sliced into the bark gingerly, grimacing as the warm, red sap oozed slowly to the surface.
"Hmm? Oh fuck yeah, I've barely been home in the past month," he admitted, carefully smearing the sap on the Dagger's blade until it was completely coated in red. "Busier'n a bee. Haven't had time to open the new place in Torchline, yet... but I've been thinkin' maybe I should take on an apprentice instead. At least t'get started." He slanted a look at Alys from beneath his shaggy mop of dark hair. "What about you? How's the counselin' thing goin' for you?"
