and I've only got my brittle bones to break the fall
The floors are clean once he's back outside, and he finds Isla by the windows. Like this, he can almost pretend they're back at the start of Deepfrost, freshly returned to life and consciousness, with the Settlement bustling and alive outside.But hiding from the truth has never helped anyone, and as he comes over he peers out the glass, nearly pressing his forehead against it. It's a mixture of the untouched and the charred staring back at him.
"Still confused," is the first thing to come off his tongue. He licks his lips tentatively and turns away from the window. "But better. Thank you." Unasked, careful, he reaches for a clean rag, and steps to the next window to collect the filth from the sill. It's better than wandering aimlessly through the destruction, and it gives him an anchor for his spinning thoughts. "I went to see her, before LongNight, but... She didn't have time for me." And now, he bitterly regrets not trying harder to see her.
Aamu
