Stavanger Bay archaic

hope you don't mind if i steal this ❤

he lingers by the shore thoughtfully, but would not plan to stay had he not noticed the odd woman's movements. like she, he'd intuited the presence of a corpse but was not compelled to check - death is not of particular interest to him. but the woman is performing something, he thinks: he cannot hear her exactly but golden-rose'd eyes trace the delicacy of her movements, trying to discern without interruption their meanings.

curiosity moves him closer, careful to wait until she is finished with whatever ritual she is conducting. with the distance between them thinned he can see the details of the body. he does not feel moved, his focus instead on that of the living. "a shame," he murmurs smoothly, watching her. "what were you offering - blessings, a farewell?"