Neverwinter Forest 'Cause my love is mine, all mine

That assertion visibly startled the young woman. Her lips parted as if to say something, but, taken aback, she found herself not quite knowing what to say. After a moment, her tone trying very hard not to be gentle,

"They never really need us," she told him. "It's just that they love us."

She stepped a little closer to him, her blue eyes losing their careful sheen. She was wary of Ludo, sometimes. She did not want to upset him. She wished they would get along more easily. But some things needed to be said, even if it was bound to make things awkward.

"I know we haven't spent much time together," she told him, her voice earnest, "but you're still my little brother. If things get too... much out here, you should come and visit me in the taiga. You don't have to stay by their sides because they need you, or even because they love you and want you. But you should go and see them, Ludo. I think it'll do everyone some good."