Broken Boulder ten detected, nine in a wreck and

He still hadn't gotten used to how quiet she was, but the slow shuffle her gait had become alerted him well enough. Alarian looked up, lungs restricting at the sight of her. For several beats he couldn't react; honestly, all he could do was pity himself. Finally, he blinked several times, glancing down for a moment before offering her a nod.
Then he turned back to the flowers, suddenly feeling guilty. He knew Lily loved to talk— knew it was likely driving her mad, being so quiet. That didn't mean he had any intention of breaking the silence; oh, he felt awful about it, but that had never stopped him. There was nothing he wanted to say— maybe it would always be that way, now.