The vial, and its wretched contents, should have been buried in the bowels of the deepest caves, in dead earth that would not be touched or graced for a millennia, if that. It had been Levani’s intentions to take it there, after she’d surpassed her initial surprise that they’d managed to bottle the black. What had they done with it, then? What were the intentions? Had that been the source, the creation of the wretched, enormous corpse? Were they… taking it into themselves? She shuddered at the thought, a rise of distasteful goosebumps prickling along her arms, fingers straining to keep from breaking the vile thing - as Kallo appeared to fear that she would do. She was not so foolish, though she undoubtedly desired to destroy it in a most base and primal manner.<br/><br/>There was a sudden rash of mistrust when Kallo offered his palm and bade that she give it to him. Spinning a tale that he could cleanse the poison that mocked them from behind the glass, as patient and ravenous as death itself. It could be seen, even, in the way that her arm recoiled, her golden eyes narrowed. It was a reflexive action, evidence of a lifetime of independence. Levani observed him closely, scrutinizing. She’d had no reason to abandon her trust in him thus far. Had even fought by his side, trusted that far that he would have her back when it came down to it.<br/><br/>A sound of reservation in her throat and Levani had slowly placed the vial in his palm, watched him pocket it. That had been the end of her attention, then, looking around the man’s things to assure that he had no more vials. Kallo had hooked it again when he’d spoken, an agony in his tone, the gold chain of a pendant dripping from his fingers. A question, angry, cold, but not to her.<br/><br/>Levani had stood then, retreating a step, hand grasping her staff. It was less the image of fear and more the figure of concern, mottled with utmost vigilance. She watched him silently, watched the evolution of his pain, heard the transformation of his voice. Remained still and unmoving when he rounded back and crushed the corpse’s head in a fit of built rage, shouting in a language that she did not recognize herself. It seemed so sudden, so emotional, all caused by finding a piece of jewelry among a man’s things. There was history there, she calculated; a harsh background to him, that had made him. That wall was being revealed again, the blood that paved the bricks evermore apparent, but she did not question him. In time, things such as that would show themselves.<br/><br/>She allowed him to gather the bodies and set them alight himself, giving him that distance, that mundane action to keep his mind even slightly distracted. She also appreciated it, tired as she was herself. When it was time to leave, she allowed only the sound of Asdenni to swell around them, and kept her words stale on her tongue.<br/><br/>When they arrived at the kamuna’s sheltering roots, her mind was at a dissonance, equally pulled between wanting to offer some sort of comfort to the man and being beckoned by the aroma of simmering rabbit meat, which swayed her desperate stomach. The latter won out, in the end, not only due to her poignant lack of nutrition that day, but because she did not know if it was possible for her to comfort him. Having lived alone for the entirety of her long life, and lacking the type of situations with the tribespeople to learn such skills, she discovered that she was at a loss. Afterall, she was still a stranger to him. She did not know his past, his ails; did not know the things that pained him. She could give no familiarity, no empathy that he possibly required. She did not know anything about the wall that stood around him, and she could only see how high it rose, how it was borne of jagged edges.<br/><br/>For the time being, Levani knelt before her clay fireplace, with only a single, silent glance to Kallo near her home. The flames were low, nestled tightly against charred wood, lacking the energetic burst that was required to keep its passion. The meat sizzled quietly in its pan, softly blackened on its one side, but no less savory by look of its plump flesh. She spared it a moment to take the clean water that she had left there and wash the blood from her skin, baring the ugly marks that the black creature had made. She frowned as she did so, enduring the sting. Though she healed faster than humans, she did not heal as quickly as she had seen Kallo do, and she would have to take care not to inspire an infection.<br/><br/>Once the wound was clean, still dribbling the occasional rivulet of blood after being bothered, she dug into the collection of meat, feasting on a little over half of what she had sloughed from the small creature. She chewed on the sprouts after, shriveled slightly from the pan, perfectly spiced and sharp in flavor. A great sigh when she finished, her stomach relishing the attention, easing a thread of tension that had been coiling tightly in her belly. Rest still called to her, the lack of energy like shards piercing her figure. She pushed it aside for a moment and rose, washing her hands in the bucket, thinking over her words. What did she have to offer him, if anything?<br/><br/>Slowly, Levani approached, eyes keen and watchful, fingers curled faithfully around her staff. She lifted her free hand, cautious, hesitant, and considered placing it on the curve of his shoulder. She could imagine the biting cold of the metal pauldron, as though part of that wall. So instead, she touched the knuckles of a balled fist, fingertips featherlight and soft. A genuine gaze, bright, wizened. Her lips parted and paused, uncertain with their words, only sure of their intention. She drew her brow together for a moment in thought. “We all pay a heavy cost to build the strength of who we are today. I cannot imagine yours, Kallo,” she said sincerely, her voice tender and even. They were not words of comfort, she knew, for she couldn’t give him that. She could give him only understanding, a moment of mutuality.<br/><br/>“I would think that your burden to bear is large, but it may not be so heavy if you were to give me some of it, so that I may empathize,” she added, then gave the back of his hand a final press before moving into the burrow beneath the kamuna. “I will not press you, of course. It is yours to share or keep,” she said, searching among the things on her shelf, finding another bone blade like the one she’d had before. The other had been lost to the earth when her golem swallowed the bodies. She placed that in the sheath at her thigh.<br/><br/>Levani sat herself at her table, having retrieved her stitching things. She worked carefully with a needle, bringing together the flesh on the largest gaps so that the wounds would close in a couple days. Moss was added after, which she held on her skin, softly cursing herself that she now lacked proper, clean linens to bind it. “You should eat what’s left in the pan. I’m sure the dried meats from earlier are not enough to keep you going alone, especially after our… excursion,” she spoke, an amused tone on the last word. A pause, and then, “Kallo, if I may be so bold, what does that pendant mean to you?”