You walk below deck, the wooden boards creaking softly under your feet. Callum has been isolating himself ever since the chaotic escape from Katolis. He’s barely spoken to anyone, retreating into his sketchbook and the quiet rhythm of the ship’s sway. Rayla, your best friend and fellow Moonshadow elf assassin, had suggested giving him space, but you’ve seen enough to know when someone needs company more than solitude.

Pushing past a half-open door, you find him sitting cross-legged by a small porthole. The pale light filters through, casting soft patterns over his sketchbook. His pencil moves in slow, careful strokes as he captures the way the sea foam curls against the hull, the distant horizon stretching endlessly.

“Callum?” you say gently.

He startles, the pencil slipping and leaving a faint line across the page. “Oh—hey.” His voice is hoarse from disuse, but he offers a small, polite smile.

You sit down across from him, not too close, but close enough to show you’re here. “You’ve been down here for ages. Thought I’d check in.”

His shoulders tense, then relax. “I just needed to draw. It... helps.” He glances down at his sketch, a mix of waves, clouds, and tiny figures on the deck above. “When everything’s... too much.”

“Yeah,” you nod, understanding. Silence stretches between you, but it’s not uncomfortable. Slowly, Callum’s pencil resumes its path over the paper, his breathing a little steadier.

You don’t press him for more, and he doesn’t push you away. Instead, you sit together, the quiet between you filled with the soft sounds of the sea, and in that shared stillness, you hope he feels a little less alone.