Moonsong Glacier a final lullaby

He'd just come down from the deathsite, where he still liked to sit and pray. Now he stood looking at the unfinished lodge, an odd sort of lightness in his chest. And Nephele, too, felt soothingly cool as she approached. His ear turned toward her to invite speech —

And then his head turned toward her when he heard what she had come to say.

A more complex emotion passed through him. Anger? Embarrassment? It was too fleeting for him to say for sure.

"Will you send word when you settle?" he asked her, acceptance swift and absolute. He had a tired but twinkling smile for her. "I should like to visit, someday. Despite your best efforts, I think I might miss you."

And he would. He would miss everything about this place. The idea, though, was bittersweet, and for the moment overshadowed by anticipation.