you were more than just a short time

ISLA

He makes some good points, Isla jotting them down with a pencil before she forgets, marking where he's made comments and where they seem to be in alignment before setting down the utensil to take him through the supplies. Except by that point, whatever remark he wants to make is largely nonsense, and she's arching an eyebrow and smirking, prepared to ask him to try it again in a language she understands when his soft weight sinks against her.

It's no trouble for Isla to sit still and silent for hours on end, but she gets the impression Sunjata will wake up with a crick in his neck like this, so it's with a murmured word to him that she coaxes him to lay down, before returning to her plans. Now it's less asking for suggestions and more thinking out loud, just to ensure the hum of her voice is there to fill the silence.

And in the morning, when they set off out of the Refuge to go and scout out a good place for the building, Isla makes no mention of it. She's back in her dress now that it's dry, having to pick her way around particularly muddy patches after the night's storm, but it's a clear and breezy day today. "You mentioned we could make our own river and water sources," she murmurs. "I'd forgotten you could make water like that. So I guess we could build wherever feels right."

apres moi le deluge
after me comes the flood