travelers traveling and on, like the wheel that will take you home

[justsookie]

Although everything has taken a slower turn as of late, gradually, Sookie's starting to feel that she's reclaiming her life at last. Certain decisions have come less easily than others- while the Council nominees collected signatures, she felt a slight pang of loss, irrational though it was to be so attached to a position she only held for a year,

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[plntfood]

Inside the hut, Sam lets out a shriek of happiness, a sound that causes Mathias to wince, even as glad as he is to hear it. The past few weeks have been troubling for her, but she's slowly come out of it, slowly accepted her toys once more as just toys, nothing more, nothing that can possibly hurt her. And the sound of a knock on the door usually means that someone has come to play, though when she gets there, it isn't anyone she recognizes.

"Hi," Sam says as Mathias follows her into the front room. "Who are you? Are you here to play with me? Did you bring some toys?"

"Sam, this is Sookie," Mathias answers, joining her at the door. Over the top of Sam's head, he leans against the doorframe and offers Sookie a smile. He hadn't been expecting her, but the visit is far from unwelcome and he can feel a flush creeping up the back of his neck at the sight of her. "And Sookie, this is Samantha Halpert."

[justsookie]

"Oh... my stars, aren't you just the cutest thing," Sookie immediately gushes, casting Mathias a lightly overwhelmed look, though not at the prospect of interacting with children so much as the surprise to find a child at this hut in specific. Questions swirl through her mind, wondering if this little girl is Mathias' daughter (but Halpert doesn't sound German), wondering if the mother's no longer on the island, but she pushes all thoughts aside in favor of indulging the girl for a while. "I am totally here to play with you, yes. Though unfortunately, I kind of ran short on toys, so I hope you can forgive me for that

[plntfood]

"Well..." Sam trails off, considering this, seeming to mentally inventory her toys, then she nods. "Okay, I have some toys you can both play with. There are my dolls, but there's also some cars or we can colour..." She continues to talk as she walks away from the door, expecting both Sookie and Mathias to follow her. She's still talking about the toys she can share when Mathias holds the door open for Sookie

[justsookie]

Sookie watches Sam retreat back into the hut with a look of wonder, smiling at Mathias in bewilderment as she bows her head and steps into the hut, closing the door quietly behind her as she enters. "Well, I think that's the pile I prefer," she murmurs quietly, glancing around at all of Sam's toys, which the girl seems intent on sharing with her new friend. As Mathias continues to explain, Sookie finds herself standing by his side, eyes widening as she starts to piece everything together. Parents disappeared. Adopted by a young woman whom he dated for a time. And the woman happens to be someone Sookie knew, on top of it all, her stomach starting to sink at the thought. It shouldn't be a big deal. It shouldn't be, and yet it pulls doubts to the forefront as quickly as anything else.

"Oh, I- I didn't know you dated Vee," Sookie smiles faintly, crossing her arms behind her back. "I knew her, we were friends. Not terribly close friends, but she was real sharp and ate often enough at the Winchester that we had a few conversations. I didn'