Iktome Plains saltmouth

For the first time in their brief meeting, the crying woman smiled.

Relief tugged at the corners of Matteo's lip, though he couldn't help but notice the emptiness of her expression. Briefly, he considered rejecting her offer to watch the waves and linger on should-forgotten memories instead - how nice it would be to pause the world for just a moment. 

In the end, it was her tentative steps that drew the boy to the conclusion that the best way to heal this woman's scars was to move ever-forward in body and in mind, as he once had done.

As she gave a name to a face, he led the way with slow steps. But he would not take her straight to Moontide. "Matteo. Have you ever been to the beach before, Teya?" Probing, softly.