Father and daughter

The presence of Sirius was both skin-crawling and comforting. Of course she didn't want to be alone, but the shame, the guilt that coursed through her made it so very hard not to shy away from him. She didn't want him to see the ugly parts of her. She barely wanted to face them herself. But she had, in this hour, even if only for a few minutes, for a few words spoken. A rueful smile turned her lips up as Sirius gave her feelings a name, and it clicked into place. Survivor's guilt. Simple, but extremely fitting, she found.

Of course, a name wouldn't solve everything, though it was reassuring to know that she wasn't the only one who felt like she did. How many nights had she stared at the ceiling of her den, wondering if things would be better if she'd died alongside them? How many times had she replayed the memory in her head, desperately wishing she could've done something different, done anything to save them?

She sighed with a kind of begrudging acceptance when he told her what she'd always kind of known, that this thing followed you around. But acknowledging her pain--just having someone else see it, validate it, was a comfort in itself. Mal still wouldn't look at him. Not until he told her that she wasn't alone. That she was wanted, loved, by others here, and that her survival was a good thing. She finally blinked up at him. She wanted to believe him. And part of her did. The bonds she'd made with Sirius, Mort, Resin, even Cairo... she knew that there were others who'd be sad to see her gone.

Her eyes widened slightly at the offer of a house, and she managed to crack a weak smile. "You don't need to build me a house. Really, I'm okay," she insisted, sliding away. She liked the comforts of her own den, and she could simply run across the plains to meet them. They wouldn't be far. Plus, she didn't want to turn off Aslatiel anymore than she had, though that sentiment was more of an afterthought. Her tail wagged slowly. "But I'll... keep that in mind." Not only the offer, but the presence of family. People to surround herself with. Perhaps that would help, rather than bottling up everything inside.