Onwards

Jael had tried, perhaps desperately, to keep herself distracted. To keep herself away from it. As they'd gotten worse and it had taken a deeper and deeper toll on her mood, she'd become... more reclusive. Trying to stay busy with the goats, with the doves. Trying to stay distracted from the distressed sounds that rose from the flock, and the fact that they weren't getting better. Sakana's judgement was more than sound, she trusted him, but it didn't make it sting less.

And in the end, what had they ended up with? Sid maimed, a new enemy on the map, and a pile of carcasses. It was all her fault. The experiment had failed, she'd come up emptyhanded. With Modesty's appearance on her balcony, Jael is equal parts relief and anxiety. The directive cuts through the eerie silence, and she doesn't need to be told twice. Slipping from her somber perch, the dog slips close to Modesty's side. Downy feathers on the breeze, and the girl hiccups. It's all she can do to choke back the sob that threatens.

Head hanging low, side near-brushing against Modesty's, she moves. "'m sorry I didn't have the stomach to help with..." the words are quiet. She feels... silly. Silly about it. After everything, she couldn't see it through to the very end.