A head with hidden eyes rose above the edge of the chasm. Lina bit her lip to keep it from quivering but it didn’t stop the tears from falling. She watched silently as Xinyi help <@133412661617623040> with the last few steps. The two started dusting each other off. The dust made small clouds around the men on an otherwise cloudless day. Laughter intermingled with the sound of the dusty pats. The sound of a group happy to be alive. When Furrow called out to Lina, to find her, she started to step, to rush, to him. He met her with the same urgentness. His arms wrapped around her tight, tucking her away in the safety of his hold, his warmth. He lifted her up, so glad she was okay. *Alive*. Hugging her so fiercely, the pressure a show of his affection and his relief. When he realized she was crying, all his attention focused on her needs. "Are you okay, Lina? We are all okay. It is okay now. We are safe. You are safe. You did it." As he pets her head and holds her. Now, Furrow holds onto Lina's arm. She acts as a guide for him, his spear-tapping catching too often on the rougher parts of terrain here. She looks up at him, reflecting on this. On everything that happened. He does so much, is capable of such amazing things, did feats only heard of in stories and old books. And yet, something like a stray rockbud can trip him up and holding onto someone's arm to navigate is easier. He *charged* a chasmfiend!! And yet, when i was crying, he asked *me* if I was okay. She loved that everyone was ok. She love that someone like Furrow gave two storms about her. But it wasn’t right. Not after what she did. She might as well deal with it now. It would be harder to do if she kept waiting. Building her courage, she focused on the direction they were walking, and the sound that came out of her mouth was smaller than she intended. “Furrow, I saw the chasm fiend run you over. I didn’t know if you were still alive or dead.” Here comes the hard part. “My first instinct was to escape. We could not be trapped down there. We needed to escape that place, so I ran away.” Lina looked up at Furrow’s eyeless face. Scared of Furrow’s reaction to the betrayal. Scared of how soldiers treated other soldiers who ran away. Also, ready for the punishment she deserved. Furrow is silent for a moment as he takes Lina’s words in. He knows this quiet distress that Lina is showing him. Yahrn had the same before. For a moment, Furrow wonders if Yahrn ever did start that shop he wanted to run or if he still fought in these wars. He gives a short, affirming hum. When he speaks, his voice is low and soft to match hers. Only a little louder than how quietly she spoke in hopes that her own voice will lift. “Instinct is important. And it is so hard to learn. Kaluk’i’iki take years just for this. That is how important it is. On the battlefield…and in life, but in battle, Lina, you *must* rely on instinct. There is little times when in battle that you can use your wit. If you stand still, you will find a blade in your neck. If you sit in your wit solely, you will die. In fights, you must *move*. I do not care which way you move right now. Back, forward, *up or down*. I do not care as long as it keeps you *alive*. I *NEED* you to *move*. And you did.” He pauses. “You helped me.” His voice is so soft and earnest when he says this. As he continues, his hold on Lina’s arm gently squeezes in emphasis of his words said slowly. “You helped me, Lina. You moved and got yourself out of there. You kept yourself safe and I am so glad for this. I have always trusted you can handle yourself and I still do. **You did not know if I was alive or dead!** I could have been crushed and gone already for all you knew. And in that situation, a situation no one and nothing could have prepared you for…*you handled it.* You handled it and you handled it well, you listened to your instinct, and I am so proud of you, Lina. So proud of you.” He lets that hang in the air for a moment. He rubs her upper arm reassuringly. “And more happened after that, did not it. More instinct. A second. You did not go alone, did you.” A second? “No, I was not alone. The rest of the group followed.” He was saying such wonderful things. Words filled with such warmth always remind her of Ma. Not ready to be vulnerable enough to let them soak in, Lina continued walking with her best soldier mask. The conversation is not over, yet.