nice to sea you again

it brings a warmth to their chest to hear Strai refer to Bylgja as his Mum. they remember when they first called Bas 'Dad,' when he saved them from that Bear and it'd been the first thing to slip out as they rushed into his arms. the relief and joy and love that had coursed through them when Bas hadn't rejected them, when he'd embraced them as his own. they want that for Strai, want him to feel safe and loved in the presence of a maternal figure who doesn't instil damaging lessons. he deserves it, even if he doesn't think so. "i hope you get it - that you get to make a real home for yourself in Heidinn." by the sound of it he already has, but it couldn't be easy trying to fully embrace your pack when you're technically still a slave.

Strai's next words surprise them. they hadn't expected him to want advice from the very person who might've just royally messed up the best thing in his life. guilt stabs them again, and they duck their head and train their eyes on the flame, suddenly unable to meet his gaze. "i'm sorry about that again," they whisper, feeling wretched. they're silent for a moment, shifting through what they know of Delphi, of her relationship with Strai. "i'd just...tell her the truth," they say finally. "that i initiated it, that you didn't reciprocate. that it caught you by complete surprise, and that she's the only one for you. tell her...that you don't have any feelings for me." their voice cracks on the last sentence, but they sniffle fiercely and look determinedly into the distance until a calm neutrality settles over their face.

"Speech"