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Maritza was very fragile right now, and yet there was only so much that could be done for her in the tiny fishing village she'd been found in. Yurl was kind enough to let them stay until she was more stable, and if Uquin had made the choice himself he would have kept them there much longer. But Ayla approved Maritza to travel, finally, and he'd received a letter that Lioe and Marcella had come DESPITE his instructions for them to stay--

It was time to reunite with their children. So, they got onto Yurl's small fishing vessel and were on their way. It should have only been a few hours' trek by boat, but the man had been complaining about the wind and already they'd been on board almost as long as Uquin's trip there had been. And, the man kept squinting worriedly at the sky which, to Uquin, looked a bit overcast, but not thunderous.

He made a soft, concerned noise and carefully adjusted a traveling cloak they'd been given around Maritza's narrow shoulders. "You're not too cold, are you?" He asked her softly.

[IT ONLY TOOK ME HALF A YEAR!]

(2/7)

If only Uquin was of a stronger frame, like his daughter and grandson, then he could hold his wife in his arms and carry her with the reassurance that she was safe there. But alas, he was a wraith of a man and didn't think he could have carried a woman with confidence even in his youth, even one as petite as Maritza. At the very least though he could steady her. It helped to ground him as well, which was a relief considering the fear he was still wrestling with of losing her once more.

"It doesn't seem so." Uquin admittedly mournfully. Yuri confirmed it with a grim smile, adjusting the angle of his sail and busily doing other preparations that Uquin couldn't even begin to name, considering he was far from a sailor. "Sorry lass. There's plenty of little huts along the waterways for these storms though, we won't be having those dressings getting soaked now!"

Well. That was a relief, at least. The boat turned towards the bank, and they sailed another tense few minutes (suffering occasional fat drops of rain) before the shack came into view. As a healer, Uquin bristled at the sight of it, but with one glance at his pale wife he had to concede it was better than risking her getting another fever. "Let me help you." He offered, scrambling gracelessly from the boat, uncaring that his boots sank an inch in the sand of the bank.

(3/7)

Uquin grunted quietly as his wife used him as a leverage, but other then a huff he didn't voice any complaints. The idea of cuddling with a stranger, especially a man around his age, made Uquin's lip curl in distaste, but he supposed he could understand his wife's point - once someone had experienced the bone burning chill of true cold, you didn't turn your nose up at sharing warmth with strangers anymore.

It still broke his heart to think about it, and he fought not to put on that 'constipated healer' face that he tended to wear when he was concerned.

"Well, let's take a look." Yuri mused as he trudged up to the cabin. He had to shove at the door with his shoulder, crunching it open audibly - shards of dried salt and sand crumbled as he did so. Inside was dark and dreary, but thankfully not mildewed.

Once Maritza was helped inside, Yuri beckoned Uquin over and together the two old men worked to open the windows; they were the usual Matori style, waterproofed wooden slats that could be opened to let in the ocean breeze. "I can start the fire, if we find wood." Uquin pointed out, hoping to be helpful. Yuri snorted, but at the Talean's ornery stare the fisherman held his hands up in surrender. "No arguments from me - that magic'll save us a bit of effort. Too bad you don't got a spell for firewood though."

With that, the man waved Uquin back towards his wife and disappeared outside, still chuckling. Uquin tried not to take it too personally, but the scowl on his face was hardly convincing. "Maybe we should have stayed in the village longer." He finally complained with a frown.

(4/7)

Left alone with his wife, Uquin allowed himself to feel a bit of guilty relief that they were off the water. For as hardy as his system typically was, he'd never quite gotten used to being on a boat or ship. He drew in a breath and rubbed at his eyes, before looking to Maritza when she replied, expression softening as he took her extended hand and dropped to sit beside her. Immediately, he lifted it so he could kiss her knuckles, then held her hand between both of his own when he noticed how cold her fingers were.

Uquin wasn't typically the sort to show so much affection outwardly, but after Maritza had survived - he couldn't stop himself from lavishing her with affection that, once, would have turned his stomach. "I could hold a flame in my hands for us until Yuri returns." Uquin offered, looking at Maritza in question. He made no move to release her hand, just yet, despite his offer.

(5/7)

Sometimes, Uquin half expected her other hand to just... reappear. To hold his own, or touch his face, or punch his arm - something. It startled him every time, to look and see that empty sleeve. But he forcibly reminded himself that HE wasn't the one who'd lost a limb. Worst of all, while it would have been difficult to get used to it, if it had been him Uquin would have been able to continue his work without it. He could take on an apprentice to teach to do the tedious bits of work.

Maritza, whose work relied both on her experienced mind and steady hands, wasn't so lucky. Even if she somehow was able to walk back onto an airship after what happened (and if Uquin didn't manage to drag her off it in sheer panic), it would be difficult to find work now with her new disability.

"... Almost four?" Uquin guessed, sighing out as he adjusted his grip to carefully wrap an arm around her shoulders. There was the length of time she and Isaia did their work... then the time she'd been out to sea, while Uquin and their family were unaware of what had happened. The weeks of ship travel to see Isaia, followed by more weeks tending to his care while she slept and recovered in the town that had saved her...? And now...

"... Maybe three. I... I don't know if I could survive another night without seeing your face, and knowing you're safe." He admitted grimly.

(6/7)

Well. Yes. Yes, Uquin hoped for that. He wanted to greedily hold her close for the rest of his days, he'd just said as much. And yet, actually hearing his stubborn wife admit it froze him in his seat. The storm outside seemed to sense his unease and chose that moment to buffet the tiny shack with a rush of wind, making him shiver and finally summon the tiny flame he'd promise moments before, which he held between them. He hoped their guide would return soon, for the man's sake if not their own.

"... well. A leave of absence wouldn't be inappropriate." Uquin said with a small smile. Then, getting serious, he added, "But - I'm certain there's plenty of work for a genius engineer in the city, even if it is not on the ship itself."

(7/7)

Uquin hummed quietly, considering her words. "It's not nearly the same as ... what you have gone through." Uquin said slowly, careful not to upset her. "But I remember a similar learning curve when my eye was lost." And that was all he said. There was no reassurance of 'And now I don't even miss it' or 'You'll get used to it.' But he hoped she would at least feel the slightest bit less alone to hear it.

He knew that someday, hopefully soon, she would need to more thoroughly examine her feelings about her new body and what that meant for her. But in the middle of a storm, when they were going to meet with their children, was hardly the most opportune time.

Uquin flicked his hand and squashed out the flame, slowly pushing himself back to his feet with an exaggerated groan. "Well - I suppose we ought to send out a search party." He sighed as he moved to the rickety door and cracked it open to peer outside.

In the end, it was a while longer before Yuri returned, cursing at his inability to find dry wood in time before the rain began in earnest. The three crowded around the tiny flame - it meant that come morning when they returned to their tiny boat, Uquin dozed with his head against Maritza's shoulder, his already scant magic supply dwindled by the simple spell.