Dawnlark Plains Don't Accept the Truth

"It is," he replied. Reek's happiness was a simple fact, evident in the jovial timbre of his voice. Despite taking a massive hit with the one-two punch that was both Scarlett and Pantaleimon's successive, yet unlinked demise, Reek was rebounding in careful stride. Underneath the sour shell that Reek had begun to shed remained the same wonkaesq prankster of days old; this trickster— the same man he had so desperately tried to reconnect with to no avail.

But, recent days served to mend the bridge between old and new. His family and the prospect of new life had certainly played a role in this reparative process. Sofi had played her part as well. He shot her a smile, unaware of the sad truth lingering in the dark behind her words. He simply took them at face value and he pried no further. "That's good to hear," he said.

Nevertheless, it was unfortunate to hear that Sofi's family was no longer together. Reek thought little of it; the family he had started to build with his first mate burned away at the cinders, snuffed out over frustration and lost love— but he had moved on to bigger and better things. In a way, he was sure Sofi would too.

"Is that why you came here?" he asked. "To start over?"