[SEASONAL EVENT] empty chairs at empty tables

RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving Ronin even managed a smile back to his friend that reached his eyes, and while he was not as in his cups as Remi, the wine had taken the sharp edges off what they were about to do. He nodded. "Yeah, she'll be staying with Vai. Vai is good with her." Good being the understatement of the year; he couldn't help but watch in awe, the way people like Vai and Remi and Phoebe interacted with his daughter. As much as he would have liked to continue this conversation indefinitely and avoid facing the final truth of things, there was no putting it off. Sugar couldn't keep the room upstairs frozen in time forever. Clearing his throat, Ronin nodded again about the wagon and let out a long sigh, like he was making himself brave. "Yes. I'll go and get her, and I'll meet you outside," he mumbled, eyes lingering on Aoife for a second before he padded away upstairs again. Ronin was longer, perhaps, than it would have reasonably taken him to collect anything else from upstairs. Whether it was to steel himself to what was going to happen or to say his final private goodbyes would forever remain a mystery between guildmaster and sea-bird, however long ago her soul had fled her body. He stepped outside into the dusk and the still melting snows, carrying with him a bundle wrapped painstakingly in the beautiful ocean linens that Remi had prepared.