Broken Boulder i know the world's a broken bone, but melt your headaches, call it home

forward-dated to the day after this thread

He feels sick. Bile rises in his throat every few minutes like clockwork, and his limbs are faintly trembling. The more he lets himself think about the fact that he shouldn't be here, that he's betraying the only direction he'd ever really had in life, the worse he feels. Delight has gone on a small trip out of the territory — what a time to choose, he thinks, wondering if it's intentional. It hurts a little either way, even though it shouldn't.
He feels distinctly alone, so he takes to gathering herbs with a vengeance. There's something wonderfully mind-numbing about it. He can forget that everyone he loves would rather be anywhere but with him. Seabreeze's approach is both unexpected and unwelcome, the latter feeling only lasting a few beats; he can't bring himself to resent her gentle presence, not for long.
Sure, He tells her, voice thick and uneven, and swallows. Thanks. He returns to his work in silence, feeling like an ass for not making conversation but not trusting himself to say anything.