Stavanger Bay all the stars in the sky

Right back at you!

Aesop blinked, taken aback by the sudden change in tone and unsure of what to do.  He really never was very good with kids, much less kids who had experienced so much in their short lives.  In the land of his birth, they led a relatively cushy life, not entirely bereft of tragedy but pleasantly lacking in it.  Their children grew up in stable homes with two parents, for the most part.  The only strife they knew was petty arguments among their peers.  Few knew loss, though it was not unheard of, but Aesop would be a fool to think that this was the case everywhere.

He felt sympathetic, of course, but did not know how best to address Charon's problems.  He shuffled in place, uncomfortable but silent.  "Well," he tried, the rest of his explanation coming out as an awkward, aborted noise.  "Uh..."  Nice going.


It took him by surprise when Charon's parting words hit him like a punch to a gut, not a glancing blow.  He frowned, only just realizing that he had taken a misstep somewhere along the line but not sure where, exactly.  "See you," he managed.  Once Charon disappeared imperiously into the forest, Aesop huffed and muttered a few complaints, not pleased by how put off he found himself.  Just a kid, he had to remind himself, but it was difficult.  Can't please everyone.