braying jackass

"I don't doubt that you're capable," she laughed. It was true. He was fit for his age, his body in good condition. You didn't maintain muscle mass if you didn't use it. He'd aged smartly. Theory had a feeling he did most things that way - smart. "Oh," she said softly, the light in her eyes dimming as he mentioned the fire. Every land had felt the touch of flame last year. It was inescapable, like the rising and setting of the sun. "The land will recover," she added, trying to sound more hopeful than she felt. Abaven had already seen the recovery and repeated decimation of the thicket. How many times could it regrow? "I've heard that the ash is restorative. I'm hoping it will return the earth to us more fertile than it was before. Our thicket has already been razed twice," she said ruefully. Would he even care?

Oh. Perhaps he did care. I heard about Shaye. "Yes... we're all still feeling that loss. Heavily." Now that they had reached a comfortable impasse, Theory laid down on the ground next to Valentine and settled in for a longer conversation. It felt strange to talk like this. They were related, but there as an impassable barrier between them. Theo could feel it, almost as if it was a real wall that she could touch and see. "Rhyme hasn't been the same. My mother died when I was young, and even when she was alive... well, Shaye was more of a mother to me than she ever was." She watched and waited for his reaction. Theory knew that Rhyme's "unique" relationship with Shaye was a point of contention for many of his relatives. Despite Theory's general wariness and confusion on the matter, she would defend Shaye's honor to anyone.