Helga went on without being asked. Perhaps she simply needed to talk to someone outside of her group, or perhaps the alcohol had made her more receptive.
"In truth, I was a tourist from outside the Velia Region. I was in Gravenport to visit Creamont when the apocalypse struck." Her voice lost some of its humor. "I Wanted to see the old cathedral there. I never made it."
She stared into the fire. The flames reflected in her eyes, making them look almost silver.
"My husband and kids died during the cataclysm."
Reidar heard the weight behind those words.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"Don't be," she said, her voice hollow. "Being sorry doesn't bring 'em back. It just means you feel bad, and I don't care how you feel." She looked up with her fjord-blue eyes. She clearly remembered everything.
"It was swift at least. Better than what happened to most people." She took another drink.
