If Llinnea thought that this would just be another drab fishing adventure, she'd be sorely wrong in that regard. Yet Loach had kept his usual stone face all the way back 'home'. Well, it was kind of home wasn't it? The little collection of scents and faces here seemed plenty to call it such.

Still he wondered about what else was nearby. Another talk for another time, he figured. Maybe a conversation for once they had sorted this out.

As he stood still in the shallows of the river, he offered a sidelong glance towards her. Ima need you to use your words real quick. You up for it? Although he doubted he'd relent if she stayed silent. The girl would need to learn to talk more anyway, even in that jutting accent. Not all things could be discussed through body language.

Alright. Then use your words to tell me how you feel about Lana being here. You like another around? You hate it? And he expected honesty, no matter how blunt or bad it might be. The truth was that Llinnea had come into his life first. Which meant she held some sense of seniority among his...feelings. Whatever the hell his mess of feelings was, mind you.

Full honesty.

His voice grew a bit of a firm edge to it, but his features suggested she wasn't in trouble. There would be no wrong answer here. So he let his gaze return to the ripples of water. Watching and waiting. Praying that the fish hadn't become smart enough to avoid this bend yet.

Okay. Nice. It seemed Llinnea had some very lackluster words for the new woman among them. Which was fine with Loach. Maybe he should have waited until everybody was more settled with one another, but this meant he couldn't say he never tried.

Yet then she tacked on something else. He rattled his brain, but found he could think of no meaning for the word she had just said. Maybe it was somebody that she knew in another place once? Girl had to come from somewhere, after all.

And who's Mor? A soft raise of one salt and pepper brow. A fish swim by him, too small for him to bother with the energy it'd take to dive.

He bit his tongue, listening to her voice as she said the word again and again. It hardly clicked until she said Baby. Her Mor. Llinnea was datter. Baby. Which gave him the impression that she was the baby to this Mor.

Loach regretted asking immediately. He was hardly equipped to handle his own emotions. Somebody else's? Whoof. It felt like the river had become a minefield in that single moment.

'm sorry, Llinnea. And he meant it. Even if he fell silent in the moments that awkwardly followed. Maybe he could have said she was free to go home, or ask why she wasn't home. Yet he imagined it would be far worse if he did, seeing how stellar he was doing already.

Way to go, Loach.

Lana is okay.

Yeah. He felt content to leave it there. Seemingly she did too, as she dived after a fish in the river. Just like last time he moved in when another scattered from her. This time he would not make a fool of himself.

He too reared back from the river with a fish in his jaws. Then promptly dragged himself back to shore. Dropped it there so it could bleed out the last bit of its life.

You wanna go exploring with me more? We'll keep coming back here, but I wanna see what's around still.

A distraction from the sadness.