[The seams of his mantle, worn and tattered as it is, strain and pop under the force of her desperate grip, and yet the sound is so small, so distant compared to the wailing of the girl in his arms. He's no closer to truly understanding what has brought her to this state, but... her grief paints a vivid picture in its familiarity. Loss, anguish, frustration-- he hears them all in her cries, feels them resonate with the child he locked away within himself so long ago, and he holds her all the tighter for it, as though he might be able to extend the shadows that protect him to blanket her as well, if only for a moment.
A song helped to comfort that child back then, so he hums it now as he holds her, the slow, sweet notes of that lullaby stuttering only once, when his eyes trail from the tiny, glowing stone nestled among the cobbles to the corroded, broken blade nearby.
That... is horrifying in its implication, but he cannot allow himself to falter now. Everything else will come with time, and if there's any virtue the past seven years have taught him, it's patience. Even when her sobs finally subside and he lifts the ragged edge of his tabard to dab at the edges of her face not buried in his cowl, he makes no mention about the state of the sword or what's made her so upset. Instead:]
... We should get you some water.
[Her throat can't be feeling good after all that.]
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A song helped to comfort that child back then, so he hums it now as he holds her, the slow, sweet notes of that lullaby stuttering only once, when his eyes trail from the tiny, glowing stone nestled among the cobbles to the corroded, broken blade nearby.
That... is horrifying in its implication, but he cannot allow himself to falter now. Everything else will come with time, and if there's any virtue the past seven years have taught him, it's patience. Even when her sobs finally subside and he lifts the ragged edge of his tabard to dab at the edges of her face not buried in his cowl, he makes no mention about the state of the sword or what's made her so upset. Instead:]
... We should get you some water.
[Her throat can't be feeling good after all that.]