She was. She was glad for him. It would have been a worse waste, if he hadn't made something of his former life.
So why was there suddenly a surge of sorrow in her chest, grief scratching the insides of her throat dry? There had been plenty of time to come to terms with this loss. What was she supposed to do with the sorrow now? There was no use in it.
Leila stuffed it down, grabbed one of the pillows and stuffed that down inside a new case too, just so he wouldn't keep looking at her. He was looking around the room now, a room that was just as desolate as the rest of her life, and although she knew he couldn't judge, she still felt - less. Like she had so little to show for herself, she may as well not be here at all.
"Fine," she said grimly, punching the pillow once or twice to fluff it, as if they weren't all moth-eaten and and least a decade old. "I'm fine." Safe - safe enough. Locked up on full moons, and could fend off the worse types this inn saw even in her human state. Fed: yes. "Living the dream." She worked for her keep, had gotten good enough at saving to last a long while, and in worse conditions than this. She had been worse. "I -"
She cut herself off before she cracked, and in haste, grasped at anything else she could say. "And - and your family?" It had been the one thing she hadn't been going to ask about - some kind of unspoken agreement not to - but she would rather him have to flounder than her. "Are they well?"
So why was there suddenly a surge of sorrow in her chest, grief scratching the insides of her throat dry? There had been plenty of time to come to terms with this loss. What was she supposed to do with the sorrow now? There was no use in it.
Leila stuffed it down, grabbed one of the pillows and stuffed that down inside a new case too, just so he wouldn't keep looking at her. He was looking around the room now, a room that was just as desolate as the rest of her life, and although she knew he couldn't judge, she still felt - less. Like she had so little to show for herself, she may as well not be here at all.
"Fine," she said grimly, punching the pillow once or twice to fluff it, as if they weren't all moth-eaten and and least a decade old. "I'm fine." Safe - safe enough. Locked up on full moons, and could fend off the worse types this inn saw even in her human state. Fed: yes. "Living the dream." She worked for her keep, had gotten good enough at saving to last a long while, and in worse conditions than this. She had been worse. "I -"
She cut herself off before she cracked, and in haste, grasped at anything else she could say. "And - and your family?" It had been the one thing she hadn't been going to ask about - some kind of unspoken agreement not to - but she would rather him have to flounder than her. "Are they well?"
