Shorekeeper

Ahhh , seriously ! He’s going to get embarrassed here . “ Well we’d be nothing without your guidance as de facto leader . ”

i overthink. i over love. i over feel. i am the sea or i am nothing.

Ah ! A flush on his cheeks . Such high praise from the Shorekeeper . . . “ Well , I try my best . . . Even if my invitations to the shores get rejected at times . ”

It was simple , really . But he supposes he hasn’t really sat down and spoken about this with anyone before . It’s somewhat relieving . “ Never imagined myself with a kid before , but now that I’ve got one . . . Man , it really changes you . ”

Aalto laughs a little at that . Not that she disrespects him but . .. “ I guess you’re right , I’ll try placing some more faith in our bond . She’s just so little , I can’t help wishing she stays that way . ” Doting father tendencies grow in him the longer she’s under his care

⠀ ( humming a familiar tune. fingers tapping against thigh. aimlessly looking at the sky. )⠀ ⠀

“ That must be true . . . ” A sigh . “ I know she’s managed over there on her own before , plus there’s Miss Yangyang and Miss Chixia . . . But . . . ” He doesn’t really believe she’ll actually go to the sessions without him there !

“ Thank you , really . . . ” He didn’t exactly have a proper role model growing up , so he’s always wondered if he does enough for her . “ Still , that doesn’t mean she’s too old for schoolwork ! Maybe I can tell her she’ll be as smart as you if she just studies . . . ”

A shyer smile settles on his lips , heartfelt compliments about his parenting towards encore always hitting stronger . “ I’m trying my best . . . aha . ” A sip of tea after he trails off flustered . “ She thinks she’s all grown up already though . ”

“ Mm , I’ll have to do my best to make sure she holds onto that . ” As her guardian , he is the one with the most direct influence over her . “ She makes friends everywhere we go , you know ? Still has that childlike innocence to see good in all and love many . ”

Fond smile at the mention of the little girl he looks after . “ Right ? I’m glad she’s managed to stay so happy despite everything she sees as a member of the Shores . ”

“ Have you spoken much to the other members yet ? I imagine you must be curious about the details of their travels not related to our work . ”

“ Well we’ve technically always known you were here . But it didn’t feel like a strange , overbearing presence . It was comforting . Now we’re lucky enough to put a face to it . ” Friendly grin , slight twinkle in his eyes .

Finally taking a sip , the ginger giving him a slight tingle in his throat as he swallows . “ How do you feel like you’re settling in ? Interacting with the Shores directly must be different . ”

Fond smile , that much is true . She’s been coming out of her shell more recently . “ I have to say it’s been nice to see you about lately . ”

Gratefully accepting it , he places it down . He’s more sensitive to heat than others , needing to let it cool . “ I hadn’t realized you and the magistrate were close . ”