natural light on a human face

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.

Llinnea had grown comfortable with being quiet. She used to be quite chatty, especially with Asmund - but that was because they could communicate easily. Mor had taught them her secret language and that was so much easier for Llinnea... Only now she had no one to speak it with.

She glowered when Loach asked her to 'use her words'. "I use words," she protested without looking up from the water. The cold tugged at her fur, but it was less unpleasant than the first time. She just wanted to fish; was that too much to ask? And why had he followed her before? He went off on his own and she didn't follow him!

Currently traveling with Loach and Claw

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.

Lana. The lady. Llinnea went to shrug but caught herself, not wanting to disrupt the water and warn the fish of their impending doom. She thought on it a moment. "She is... Okay," she said finally. "Nice."

And she was. Llinnea didn't dislike her... She just didn't trust her quite yet. Not like she trusted Loach... As far as that trust extended. Tentative and rough, like the both of them. Lana seemed... Too smooth for them. But...

"She is like Mor," she said quietly, slowly. She didn't have the word for 'reminds' yet, but that is what it was. A reminder of her Mor, of what she'd lost.

Currently traveling with Loach and Claw

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.

Llinnea watched the water, but her gaze was unfocused. She hadn't latched on to any of the women at the Backwater after Mor had died; perhaps it was because she knew them, and they had their own children to fuss over. But this Lana... She was darker than Mor had been, but was close enough... And she missed her mor. Missed having a mor.

She looked up at Loach in confusion. "My Mor," she said again. "Mor." Maybe if she said it enough he would understand. She groped around for a word that might make him understand. "My Mor. I was her datter. Baby." Maybe that would be good enough?

She looked down, resisting the urge to fidget as she whispered, "I miss my Mor."

Currently traveling with Loach and Claw

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.

(This post was last modified: Jan 15, 2023, 12:19 AM by Loach.)

Llinnea didn't know what to say to Loach's apologies. It wasn't his fault... It was hers. Azzy was right... It was her fault their Mor was gone. She sniffed, blinking back the tears and tried to focus on the water again. Fish. She wanted a fish.

She sniffed one more time. "Lana is okay," she said again. Then something glittered by her paws and she dove forward, jaws snapping shut with all the force of an angry child. It was a good dive; the flavor of fish flooded her mouth and she jerked back toward the shore, hauling her prize after her.

(This post was last modified: Jan 15, 2023, 12:27 AM by Llinnea.)

Currently traveling with Loach and Claw

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.

She'd been planning to offer her fish to share, but was pleased to see Loach had caught his own. He wouldn't have accepted it anyway, she reasoned. She wondered where Lana was and if she'd be hungry soon. Either way, Llinnea was going to eat half her fish and bury the rest in the snow by her little shelter.

Loach moved on to another topic, which Llinnea gladly accepted. She pricked her ears and brightened a little at the prospect of exploring more. She nodded. The more familiar she was with the surrounding area, the safer she'd be if he ever showed up.

Currently traveling with Loach and Claw