Qeya River sparrow's sorrow

kivaluk notes that her smile is warmer, reassuring that she had not taken offense to his rather blunt questions. it soothes him before her words do, though hearing her reassure him that he did not offend soothes the very last lingering vestiages of worry.

not forever; a sage nod is given, taking comfort from these words.

i guess ...all we can do is figure it out as we go. at any rate, he knows he wants to be able to impress his father when kigipigak returned to them. even as she offers him a soft kiss on his forehead, kivaluk worries his lip as if it's a bone for a moment. d'you think akkuma is going to be okay? his brothers distance is noted — though kivaluk had been the most social of the two even when they were younger. still, that deep seeded older brother instinct makes him feel both ( over ) protective and worried about akkuma all the same.