#this doesn't bode well

She didn’t stop. Instead, she turned her attention to personal projects. Soon she was lost in a world of small gears, springs and cogs spread across her workbench as she repaired a small bot. A quiet topaz carbuncle lay at her feet watching the rest of the room from under the table. The arcanima had been a near-constant companion since childhood and the long stretch of time in which Aislinn hadn’t been able to call it into being seemed to have been harrowing for it. It refused to wander too far from her side now that it had been restored. 

The peaceful quiet of the night was suddenly broken by the carbuncle as it sat up, flicking its ears forward and chirping an alert mere moments before Locke’s voice came from the linkpearl at her desk. 

“Aislinn, love. I know it’s late. Are you still awake?”

The low voice broke through the woman’s concentration like little else could, immediately pulling her head up with a soft gasp. There he was. Another day in which Locke was safe and alive. Now she could sleep. 

Setting down her work, she rose and crossed the room, picking up the pearl and fitting it to her ear. “You know it’s never too late to hear the sound of your voice.” She answered, unable and unwilling to stop the smile slowly making its way across her lips as she spoke. “How goes the ruin diving?” 

Locke had a hunch that she was still awake, but hearing her voice come through on the other line brought a pleased smile to his lips all the same. Aislinn was a presence he had gotten used to having by his side for a time, and though he didn't show it, the distance put between them due to the nature of his work was beginning to wear on him in its own way. For now, he was happy enough just hearing her voice and knowing she was staying out of trouble for once. 

He could practically hear the smile in her words, prompting a soft laugh out of him as Locke rose up from his desk and made his way over toward a nearby table to pour himself a stiff glass of whiskey. "Swimmingly. We're wrapping things up now and taking inventory. Not a bad haul on board right now. All that's left is to pawn off the spoils, and enjoy the gil we rake in. Once we do that... well, I think I'm overdue for a visit." 

Aislinn found herself wandering her way over to the model airship that sat atop the mantle of the fireplace as he spoke, tracing a finger along its sleek lines and miniature details. In her mind’s eye Locke was slowly prowling around his quarters as they spoke, the windows ajar to the night because he loved the fresh air. Those brilliant eyes of his crinkled around the edges as he laughed, and in a pleased tone told her of the spoils he and his crew had found. Of how once they were finished he was coming for her. 

“Long overdue for one, by my estimations.” She softly teased. “Once you’re here, don’t plan on leaving any time soon. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

For a moment Locke pondered over whether or not he should mention the bite. He hated to make her worry, or rather worry more than she already did. In his line of work it was almost inevitable, but at the same time withholding the truth felt no better than a lie. He lifted up his glass of whiskey as he took a heavy swig of its contents and swallowed while the burn of booze washed down the back of his throat. "Perhaps not as smoothly as I would have liked. We did run into a hiccup near the end. Roused some... thing out from its slumber before it went and bit me. Nothing serious, mind you. Wound's already been taken care of. And I made sure to return the favor with a few bullets before it sped off."

He let out a sigh. Well, that was out in the open now. Would it have been better to keep it to himself? Perhaps, but deep down he almost felt relieved to get it off his chest. "Honestly, I'm just glad the crew made it out unharmed."

Aislinn’s smile faded and a frown of unease took its place as he told her about the encounter with the creature. Maybe it was just her but rousing something from its slumber made it sound like whatever it was, it had been significant. After all, you didn’t rouse insects or vermin from their slumber. You roused tigers. Bears. Predators. Her hand slipped from the model airship as she turned away. 

She tried not to let her mind run away with itself but it took effort. 

“You don’t know what it was? What did it look like?” she asked. “What sort of bite?” She meant to sound gently concerned but somehow her voice came out as briskly pragmatic as ever. Heartwood, like the cartel that came before, didn’t exactly reward softness and she’d learned to bury it under layers of no-nonsense. 

Locke, though, could clear those layers away with a touch. Gods above, she missed him. 

She was worried. Perhaps the way she voiced her questions didn't come off that way, but Locke knew her better than most. He wasn't surprised. If the situations were flipped he likely would have asked her similar questions in turn. In the end, it only meant that she cared. 

"Big. Taller than Loe by a few feet. Pale, white skin. Long, pointy ears. Red eyes. I'd seen some voidsent in my time, but nothing quite like this." He was well aware that wasn't the most reassuring of words to leave his lips and quickly followed up with more.

"Aislinn, love. I'm fine. It's already been a few hours and we've had it taken care of. Now, enough about me... I want to hear about your day. Last I checked, there's never a dull moment in the halls of Heartwood."

“Voidsent?” The hair on the back of her neck went up as though a phantom finger had trailed itself down her spine. The worry continued to gnaw at her but realistically what could she do hundreds of malms away? The fact that it had happened bells ago and the wound had been seen to and was still fine would have to suffice. That said, she knew the moment they hung up she’d be in the library pulling every book off the shelf that had anything close to a catalog of known voidsent. But he didn’t need to know that right now. “Alright.” She softly relented. “Hopefully that’s the only hitch and now you’re in the clear.”