The Dale Decision

Whistle - Care

Tis was being quiet, but it was a thoughtful kind of quiet. That was entirely normal. With everything that they'd talked about already, it was only natural. He was very quiet and thoughtful after the hypothermia incident; she remembered that well.

Speaking of which... she couldn't help but feel concern for her brother. She couldn't help but remember how he'd sounded last night, when he was muttering to himself, in tears. How he'd looked. Seeing Tis like that... she knew there were a few experiences that had resulted in him going into that state... and he'd needed to "seek refuge." But those weren't as common as her having a nightmare – so while that was scary and all, they all had a better idea of how to manage that because they had to deal with it more often. Though she didn't want Tis to experience that distress more often, she did wish that she better knew how to assist him.

Caring about health wasn't just about applying remedies, though she had thrown herself into that. Situations requiring first aid were... the way Ma had described them; a lot of things happening very quickly. Everything they had learned was in situations where everything was under control. What if it was out of control? The closest she had gotten to a situation like that was when they found Mr. Falcon in a dehydrated state. There were no serious wounds, no blood. If there had been – they'd have needed to go for help immediately... they weren't supposed to handle emergencies...

When it came to this... she knew Ma and Pa would rather the three of them, given how young they were, to seek help rather than do it themselves – though they did commend them for what they had learned. They were pleased that they took the matter seriously.

Whistle understood; she just wanted to help however she could, doing what ever she could at her age. Assisting while an adult took charge seemed ideal, in a situation that didn't require too much quick thinking – or loads of medical knowledge. Nothing like removing a splinter, either – it required a certain amount of finesse. Leave the tweezers to the adults; she could say calming words and provide the diversion.

Just like they did for her nightmares... now that was a caring role, right there – not only had it calmed her in those moments, it had given her a sort of... inspiration. The desire and knowledge to reciprocate it.

It seemed that was what had happened last night. After she'd had a nightmare, she'd get questions the next day if she was okay. That might be the reason for her concern. Such a scary experience... it could linger.

Bis, too... Whistle looked at her. She seemed to be chatting amicably with Kendall about stuff they would bury if they were to make time capsules – photos, quick sketches she made, maybe a spare sleep mask onto which she'd embroidered a design. She didn't seem subdued, as she had when she was suffering from insomnia... she did yawn, though, as she spoke, but that could be just because it was morning...

Breakfast seemed to be wrapping up... Whistle wanted it to last a bit longer; give her time to think about all these things... especially since the moment she intended to tell Ma about the eavesdropping was rapidly approaching...

Still, they had a bit more time clearing up the dishes; just a bit more time to get her thoughts in order. They thanked the Dales for the meal; Tis and Whistle were a bit behind Bis in doing so; they were somewhat lost in their own thoughts. Also Bis yawned widely as she said her thanks. The Dales didn't seem to mind either of these things.

Nana and Kendall insisted that they help with the washing up, since Ma and Pa had helped with the food preparation. Probably better to wait until that was done before bringing up this matter... then again, Ma was deep in conversation with Pa and a few of the Dales.

It was good that she'd had a meal before she confessed her wrongdoing. She didn't feel like she could do it on an empty stomach.

It was... eavesdropping; it was continually recurring. They would be disappointed that she'd let it happen yet again.