“Where shall we begin?"

        “Where indeed…" Niv replied, looking around, clearly more on his mind than just sorting through possessions. He peered into a few boxes as he tried to recall what he'd been doing before. “I think I was working on this one… Yeah. Mostly books. Again. I swear there's at least one in every box on purpose." He grinned, shaking his head as he grabbed a few. “So many books."

        “I would apologize," Sab smiled, picking up a single book, “but she has long since outpaced any contribution for which I could be blamed." He examined it with an amused look, thinking on little Mela's voracious appetite for literature. He passed it on to Niv, grabbing another.

        “One does not blame another for doing Good." Niv recited the phrase as one might recall a lesson. He kept his attention on organizing the shelf, Sab providing a steady feed of books. The tiger thought on the phrase a moment, deciding he was quite fond of it, and enjoyed the flattery.

        “If I may, how has life here treated you?" Sab asked. “Beyond what it is obvious." He gestured at the room, indicating the house as a whole, and the current state of affairs it represented.

        “It's been alright." Niv said, lacking enthusiasm. With the first box empty, he moved to a new one, grabbing yet another stack of books. “It's not as… modern here, but still comfortable. Didn't take long to adjust. And the people are nice, that helped." He gave Sab a look that conveyed a preference for his life here in Val'En. As he turned back to the shelves, he stared through them. “I do miss the rain though."

        “It rained often where you were?" Sab asked.

        “No, but a lot more often than here…" A thoughtful expression came over the young man as his mind wandered. Memories of the powerful storms he had weathered came flooding through his mind. The soft sound of the rain falling on hard rooftops. The numbing sensation of being shaken by thunder. The dazzling displays of lightning as it clawed across the sky. Niv became aware of himself, casting an embarrassed glance at Sab. The young man looked away, clearing his throat and went back to the task at hand.

        “Makes the rain we do get all the more special." Niv concluded, attempting to slide a heavy book onto a higher shelf. It was just barely out of his reach, and he gambled on a push. He lost, and the book started to tip backward. He had only a split-second for his error to register, and by then Sab had stepped in, pushing the book neatly into place. “…Thanks." Niv said quietly, looking down to the floor. He was quick to step away and refill his arms. Sab found the incident an opportunity to course-correct.

        “I have heard a common sentiment over the years." He began, eyeing the human carefully. “The change of scale making newcomers feel… out of place." Niv paused, considering the book in his hand with a thoughtful frown.

        “New cover on an old book." His reply was tired. Reaching out, he hesitated once he realized his destination. The book was bound for that high shelf, and he wasn't keen on another gamble. Slowly, he presented the tome to Sab instead. The elder happily obliged him, noting the young man for another good phrase.

        “Perhaps you will read it to me, someday." Sab acknowledged his meaning, careful to avoid any pressure. Things continued this way for an hour or two as they emptied more boxes. As Sab felt out his boundaries, Niv gradually relaxed. He became more receptive to the elder's inquiries, soon offering some of his own, much to the Fioan's delight. The once cavernous room was now filled with a cozy atmosphere.

        Prying open a new box, Sab was struck by a peculiarity. Yet again, the entirety of the contents seemed to be Mela's things. He frowned at the neatly packed belongings.

        “I cannot help but notice, quite a lot of this has been… familiar." He remarked as he held up a trinket.

        “Should it not be?" Niv asked, still focused on the things in front of him. “Mela's not exactly a big spender, in spite of… how this looks." Grinning, he gestured at the room as a whole. “I doubt much of it would be all that new." He offered the explanation with a casual, helpful tone.

        “Are…" Sab hesitated, taking a deep breath. He considered he may just seem nosey, but there was a bigger picture on his mind. Masking his concern with a humorous tone, he pressed on. “There are so many here. Are any of them… yours?"

        “A few." Niv smirked, taking the humor at face value. “I haven't had the same kind of time to accumulate things." He shrugged. “There are more upstairs, but they're just clothes."

        “Yes, of course." Sab nodded, though he didn't find the reason convincing. This may simply be how Niv liked to live, owning so little, but Sab didn't buy that either. Nothing he knew about the human supported it. The possibility occurred to him that things hadn't being going that well for Niv, and it weighed on the elder's mind. Nosing into things was now a professional matter. “Perhaps we might focus on them, while there is still space." Sab suggested, a hint of playful sarcasm in his voice.

        “Well…" Niv's impulse was to argue the implication, to say there would always be space for him. But as he considered his retort, he caught the intended humor of the remark. “Yeah… we can do that." He nodded, gesturing to the boxes in question.

        They were bumped to the front of the line, and the two set to work. Things slowed a bit, as Sab had to ask what he should do with each item. Handling Mela's things was easy, he knew how she liked everything to be. It didn't present a problem, though, as Niv was very understanding of the situation. This also afforded him the time to truly pay attention to what the human's possessions had to say.

        Sab's enthusiasm waned as they progressed. His mind had been eased over how little Niv possessed, it all spoke of a healthy enough life. But a new issue had begun to unfold. It was of less professional concern, but bothered him nonetheless. Nearly every object that passed through his hands was of local origin, or could easily be. It seemed clear that Niv had brought little to nothing with him when he left home. Or little to nothing of it was left. The idea took Sab's thoughts to places he didn't like.

        “Is… something wrong?" Niv asked. The Fioan had been quiet a little too long, and he wondered at the picture being painted. He felt a bit self-conscious about some of the items in that box, but that was to be expected. He couldn't think of anything among them the elder might object to.

        “Hmm? Oh." Sab thought a moment. It was too obvious that he had something on his mind, he couldn't hide that now. But he felt the issue was not his to address. “No," he offered a polite smile, “just… something from your Book, I think." Niv looked confused, prompting the addition, “The one with new binding."

        “Oh," Niv nodded, “right." He cast a thoughtful glance to the floor, even more anxious about what Sab was seeing. Better not to think about it now, he decided, choosing to focus instead on the things in front of him. In doing so, something seemed odd, out of place. Worse, it seemed, something missing. He dug into the box in a reckless hurry, tossing things to the side as they got in his way. Sure enough, it was nowhere to be found.

        “What is the matter?" Sab frowned.

        “One of my tool sets should be in here, but it's not." Though clearly frustrated, he wasn't distraught. It wouldn't be impossible to replace, but he'd rather not have to. “Can you look in that one for me?" He pointed to an unopened box. “It's a rolled up leather pouch, about so big. It may be wrapped in something else."

        “Of course." Sab carefully and respectfully sifted through the contents. It only took him a moment to uncover a roll of leather. As he lifted it to look closer, a glint from below caught his attention, revealing some foreign decoration. He unwrapped the leather just a bit, showing a few tools tucked inside. He held it up to be seen. “This?"

        “Yes! Thank you." Niv sighed with relief, taking the pouch and leaving the room. “This is going straight to my desk before I lose it again."

        Sab, in the meantime, came to curiosity's call. Surely it was no offense, he'd already been invited into Niv's belongings after all, to help sort them out. It was practically expected of him, and he was quite keen to investigate. He retrieved the glinting object with gentle reverence, his eyes bright and inquisitive like a child. It was a small mirror, not much bigger than his hand. That in itself was unremarkable; it was the frame that interested him.

        Though not exactly what he'd seen on his trips abroad, it was still of a distinctly western style. However, it still wasn't the uniquely informative find he'd hoped for. Novel as it was to him, nothing in particular stood out about it. It had nothing to tell him about a life in a faraway land. Any value it possessed was, at best, sentimental.

        Niv returned just in time to see the mirror, another object that shouldn't have been where it was, turning over in Sab's hands. He stopped dead in wide-eyed horror, the action playing out in slowed time as his blood froze. Jagged icy edges cut from within, as a numbing tingle spread over his body, watching the feline's expression change. Surprise, recognition, regret. Things had been going so well, and it was all just… gone.

        “It seems I truly have misjudged." Sab spoke to himself in a grim hush, lightly touching the hand-drawn symbol. That of Agrisi, known primarily as the god of death, especially in the west. Worse still, it was a variation distinctly associated with the suicidal. With a hardened look and a heavy sigh, he carefully returned the mirror back to its place. He had failed to notice the young man's return, until setting his thoughts aside.

        Terrified and shaking, Niv held a large book tightly in his hands like a shield, face pale as the dead. His eyes sparkled with burning tears, a million thoughts racing through his head as he stared upward. Their difference in stature came into acute focus as the Fioan towered over him. He was defenseless, completely vulnerable. Every nerve in his body screamed at him to run, but they were buried too deep in the ice. It would mean nothing.

        The tiger's eyes flashed with what Niv could only see as burning fury, locking a predatory glare onto him. He saw the raw muscle of a hunter tensing out of instinct, holding still, preparing for the strike. His thoughts were clear as day, reflected in his stalker's face. The Fioan moved, and Niv shut his eyes tight. He heard only shuffling, and flinched when something touched his hands. It was warm and fuzzy, tickling his skin as it gently slid over them, holding firm.

        “Niv."

        Opening his eyes slowly, Niv found the hunter kneeling at his feet, trying to be as small as possible. His face was kind, graced with a sad smile and the hint of forming tears. The calm of his voice was a dam against the maelstrom within.

        “We are all the shepherd's flock." Sab softly spoke. “The god of death, and life, guides us through both." He felt Niv's grip loosen, and held his hands tighter to stop them shaking. “And when the soul itself is beset by hardship; whether to stay, or to go…" Keeping his eye on Niv, he reached into his pouch and produced a small token. He held it close to his chest in his open palm. It bore a finely carved symbol, the same as on the mirror. “…It is no crime to seek him for strength."

        Niv hadn't a chance of holding his composure, dropping the book as his shaking worsened. The hunter's aim was unerring; he knew the truth, knew things Niv could never say. Sab had seen him through the fog, as only one other had. An overwhelming relief battered him like a tidal wave. Niv's eyes shut tight again, his face contorting as he let the waters take him. His sobbing was swiftly muffled by the Fioan, pulling him into a tight embrace.

        “You are safe here."