In time you'll find, I've got baggage too

Maea

give me shelter, or show me heart

He didn't fight her on the subject, and it told her enough about how badly injured he was to make Maea even more determined. As he stood, she rose alongside him, offering what support she could to get him on his feet and keep him there. It was hard to find a place on him that wasn't cut and bleeding, but she slung an arm around his back as best she could, and let him lean on her as she pointed in the direction she wanted them to go.

"That way, love. It's not far, only a few steps." More like a few hundred meters, but she was sure he knew this already.

With every step she spoke soft encouragements, keeping one eye on Sunjata to see how he was doing, and the other on the place they were going. It was higher up on the beach, with trees casting cool shade over the sand. Not perfect, but better than the open sun. As soon as she could, she let him sink back onto the ground, and began to look over the injuries again. Ignoring that her own wound was far from closed, or that tendrils of blood seeped down her leg, like crimson on snow. He was worse off still, and she felt sick with worry at the damp, red-soaked bandages. He was bleeding far too much.

"I'm going to have to leave you for a moment," she told him, trying and failing to keep the worry from her voice. "Just a little bit, to see if I can find people. Okay?"

watch me fall apart
and I'll be yours to keep