Swiftcurrent Creek This isn't a bad guy. This isn't a villain.

The man something Ukko thinks he hears but isn't sure, ears cupping forward to attention as if he might repeat t again but he's silent for a few seconds. He says it again but it sounds different. Teeth grind together, afraid of what is going to come out of his mouth and somewhere inside, he hopes the other doesn't know who Tavi is. Even as he begins the unsteady words, he doesn't want to hear it. The tone is enough to tell him the rest and his stomach twists, as if he may lose everything inside, and he isn't sure how to work his legs anymore. They feel unsteady but he can't move them, a slight sway of his body coming with the news. 

Ukko opens his mouth to say something, realizes there's nothing, and snaps them back shut. 

The last several days he'd spent with Tavi had been terrible, unsure what to do for her. They'd opted for the safest form of treatment, of supportive care, but nothing helped. She wasn't his best friend. 

The last time they'd been together, she'd been so disappointed in him. 

He never expected a pain such at this to exist in his heart, they anything this bad will surely mean death. His breathing stops and he holds his breath for a longtime, trying to process the very words some stranger tells him. Even if he knew Tavi's time had been running out, he isn't sure if he should believe or not. If he'd been able to keep tabs on her better, perhaps he would know, but left in this new whirlwind leaves him a mess. 

"Where is she?" he asks dumbly, blinking away his stare to refocus his gaze on the stranger.