A legacy takes many forms

Jesting with her guardian hadn't been the right call as the red head watched Gustave's expression morph into a sullen frown at her words, his tone turning to one of caution and worry in which her teasing wouldn't be welcomed in what had become a rather serious conversation. Hopping off of the fallen tree she'd been stepping along does the youngest expeditioner join him at his side, keeping in step with her brother as Maelle hoped their conversation could still be remedied.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to make you worry, yknow?" Pale blue eyes quickly dodge the engineer's stare as they dart off to look at foliage stained bright neon colours by the chroma that seemed to touch every part of the continent's wild landscape, a reminder of just how far they were from home as her own worries bubbled up to the surface.

❝ Everyone's scared. ❞ He doesn't explicitly say he's scared, but that's a given. Even as he processed all the events of the beach and everything that happened after, Gustave still felt scared. He thought he was prepared but death in Lumiere being so . . . beautiful made it all the more horrifying out here.

However, Gustave moves to gently bump her shoulder with his ---- an off handed gesture to help ease the tension. ❝ I just want you to live. I ---- ❞ Gustave's gaze is still distant as he recalled waking up and not knowing where Maelle was. His one thought had been finding her, not his team. ❝ When we were separated I ---- I feared you were dead. I never considered anything like that. Figured I'd die before you and then with everything ----- It's a lot out here. ❞

gustave finds a spot where he can be alone. he spends some time writing in his journal. he hopes that one day, his apprentices will read everything he wrote.

"Special delivery," was Gustave's only warning before a small takeout box was dropped rather unceremoniously upon whatever blueprints he was fretting over. Hope those weren't important. "Emma wanted me to make sure you ate instead of pouring over... whatever it is you're doin-What are you doing, anyway?"

He's protest, but he knows Emma will continue to send Maelle to him until he eats or at least makes an appearance back home in a presentable manner. He loved his sister, but she had a very sneaky way of getting her way that sometimes made him roll his eyes. Though, he won't in this case. Instead, he pops the container open and fished out some silverware. ❝ You hungry? You know they always send far too much food. Really, there's enough here for two meals. ❞

for  warm  drinks,  kitchen  conversations,  &  warm  hugs.

you  didn't  have  to  bring  me  anything.

you  always  know  exactly  how  i  take  it.

it's  still  warm  -  take  mine.

you  can  stay  here,  as  long  as  you  need.

sit,  i  made  enough  for  both  of  us.

today  feels  like  a  quiet  kind  of  day.

let  me  pull  the  cookies  out  of  the  oven.

your  hands  are  freezing.

you  fell  asleep  on  the  couch  again.

i'll  be  here  when  you  wake  up.

you  can  tell  me,  or  we  can  just  sit  here.

i  have  no  idea  what's  in  this  but  it  tastes  good.

i  needed  this.

it's  chilly  out  there.  stay  a  little  longer.

i  didn't  make  any  plans  today.  just  this.

you  looked  like  you  needed  something  warm  to  hold.

there's  an  extra  blanket  on  the  couch.

i  didn't  have  the  heart  to  wake  you.

this  room  looks  beautiful  when  the  sun  comes  through  the  window.

Taking care of them...

"Hey, it's okay. Show me?"

"What did they do to you?"

"Don't cry - I've got you."

"That's okay - get it all out."

"Deep breath, I have you."

"Sh, sh, I'm going to patch you up."

"I've got a bandage for you."

"This is going to sting, but we have to clean this."

"Oh - okay - we're hugging about this, okay."

"It'll all feel better in the morning."

"I can't believe someone would do this to you..."

"I'm going to protect you."

"Get some rest. I'm not going anywhere."

"You're safe now."

"I'm just going to wipe your face."

"When's the last time you cried like this?"

"There's nothing wrong with you, I promise."

"One day, you'll be okay. For now? It's okay to hurt."

"You want a hug?"

"I've got a blanket for you."

"Nice and cosy..."

"It's okay if you fall asleep."

"Just get some rest. You need it."

"Hey, I made you food."

"I know it's easy to forget to eat when you feel like this."

"You don't need to feel guilty."

"It wasn't your fault."

"Do you want a hot chocolate?"

"There's nothing better than a toasted marshmallow."