there's no way out of this dark place

It took him a little while to work up the nerve. Whatever was bothering him, it must have been weighing heavily on him. In time, he opened his mouth and began to speak. Iolaire listened. She didn't react, but the gears were going in her head. It made sense. Asla and Indy had always been incredibly close. Hell, they had come out of the womb together. It made complete sense to her. Where she was from, it was common for family to inter-marry. She couldn't tell him that though. It wouldn't help in the slightest. She knew Sirius's views on the matter. They had come out clearly enough when Hannibal and Deathbelle had their litter.

She had to go about this delicately. First, Io rose again and moved towards her nephew. Though she was significantly smaller, she scooped him up into an embrace, resting her cheek on his head. "My sweet boy..." The tri-colored woman kissed his head. "I wish I could give you a cure to make the pain go away, but I can't." She gave him a gentle rock. "Love is one of the hardest and longest lasting pains there is." She knew from experience. "Time and distance. Those are the only things that will make it better." Pulling back, green-gold eyes met blue. "That is the only remedy, but even that may not work completely." She didn't want to give him false hope. She wouldn't do that to him. It was as good as a lie and she refused to lie to the boy.

"Time and distance," she repeated. "Perhaps you need to get away from the Armada for a while. Go and work on yourself out from beneath the paws of your family." Immediate family, anyway. The idea struck almost instantly that he should request permission to go to The Hallows for a time. If he was willing, it might very well help him. She knew that her mother would take care of the boy. Sirius would be more inclined to let him leave if it was with family. "Ask your parents if you can go to The Hallows with your grandmother. See if time away from Aslatiel helps any."