Stavanger Bay xxxvii. you've got a beautiful brain

He took his time letting that set in, heavy as it was, but he needed to hear it from someone else too. In a voice that was not so familiar, though still with him at heart. Antares could not disagree, at any point. It had been hard. He had not been ready to face that, not now, one thing after the next.

But he survived, and that had to be worth something--or so he had long since reasoned. Now he just needed to decide what he wanted to make of it out here. He always would be, had been, and now would continue to be. It was feeling less like heavy shackles sometimes, and perhaps this was why. Yeah.. he agreed, albeit quietly, no less true. As she said, the spirits would never forget. He felt like he might not either, though this was a consideration for another day. He knew, and was happy that she could tell him as he peered easily back with just a hint of a nod through his silence.

Want to see more of the beach? he said eventually, ready to shake the itch in his limbs with motion--if she shared the thought, the invitation was there to move on with or without him