The farewell was brief, though it carried the weight of unspoken things. Still, Jim and Jill did not depart without leaving well wishes upon those they had carried.
When their gazes turned on Lenko, the air grew taut. Their eyes flicked once toward Olga's, then back at him, a silent urging, an almost paternal warning. They did not speak the curse aloud, such matters were never theirs to reveal, but the implication lingered in the space between them.
'Tell her', their eyes seemed to say. 'Tell your sister what shadows hang over you, before it is too late.'
Then they drew Tyron aside. Their words were quiet, almost tender, yet they struck the boy like blows. 'Find a way to reclaim your necklace,' they urged. 'Do not let it slip from you.' The reminder shattered the fragile brightness that had carried Tyron through the night.
