Carlie was worried about her brother.

It had been three days since they'd buried their father, and Tarrant had yet to say more than two words to anyone. In fact, if her conversations with Alice were to be believed, it seemed as if Tarrant had holed up in their bedroom and was refusing to come out.

He was also refusing to eat, bathe, or do much more than lie in bed and stare at the wall. Occasionally, Alice reported hearing him crying, but he would quiet if he so much as heard her nearby.

Alice had tried. Really, she had. She'd sat next to him and had held him, though he tended just to go limp when she tried. She'd made his favorite foods, including a cake that took four hours to make. She'd outright begged him to bathe, but he'd only glared at her for a moment before his eyes filled with tears.

"You just don't understand," He had told her as he blinked away his tears. "It… it's too hard. It's all too hard. It's too much, Alice."

"But I do understand. My father died too," She replied, taking his hand.

Tarrant said nothing else. He simply sniffled and curled on his side, facing away from her.

00

After six days, when Tarrant was seeming very much worse for the wear, Carlie had been officially called in. She tended to understand her brother's needs better than anyone else, and Alice hoped that she might get through to him. He seemed very weak due to going so long without sustenance and if Carlie couldn't help, Alice's next step would be to go to Mirana.

Carlie arrived with a bag full of various items, including tea, which she immediately asked Alice to brew. As Alice started on that, Carlie made her way to the bedroom and knocked on the door.

"Little brother?" She called. "It's me, Carlie. I've come to check on you."

There was no response beyond a small, soft 'go away'.

Frowning, Carlie made her way inside.

00

Tarrant truly looked terrible. His hair was turning white and he had huge bags under his eyes, along with extremely pale skin. He looked near death, as if his grief was literally killing him. He'd clearly lost weight, as his cheekbones stuck out much further than usual, and he smelled fairly rank due to the lack of bathing. She noticed a large glass of water that was mostly empty, so at least he was staying hydrated. One small miracle, she thought to herself.

Carlie set her bag on the bed and sat on the edge of it, next to Tarrant, so she could see his face.

She said nothing as she placed a hand on his side and began to rub his back, the way she used to do when they were children and he came to her, scared after a nightmare. Almost instinctively, he began to relax with a sigh.

"It's alright, Tarrant. I'm here."

He looked up at her, his eyes a dark green color that only occurred when he was in great pain.

"I miss him, Carlie," He whispered, a tear rolling down his cheek. "It hurts…"

Carlie pouted sympathetically.

"I miss him too. I know it hurts, because it hurts me too." She continued rubbing his back for a while before speaking again.

"I bought some things that you might be interested in," She reached for her bag. "I know you're tired and hurting, but I thought you'd be intrigued."

He stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I found this in dad's papers," She said, pulling a large leather portfolio out of the bag, opened it, and held it up for Tarrant to see it. It contained a drawing of him and his father, back when Tarrant was a young boy. Both were smiling. "I believe Mrs. Marlow drew it. Remember, she lived above the shop?"

Tarrant nodded. "Ah, yes. She used to stomp around so loudly that it always angered father. He always thought she must've been tap dancing. Remember when he confronted her with a broom?"

"And she opened the door wearing the most beautiful cloche and they instantly became friends?" Carlie continued.

"Yes!" Tarrant half smiled. "Always came for dinner and brought that… what was it? Boiled cabbage?"

"It was horrid but father always made us eat it. I won't touch cabbage now, thanks to that."

"It smelled so awful." Tarrant agreed. "Stunk up the place for days. By the time it drifted out, it was time for her to come again. Those were the days, back when we were all young."

"Then there's this," Carlie said as she showed him a small paperweight shaped like a boat.

"Heavens! Is that from- …it can't be! From the Sea of Albin, when we took that family vacation?"

"Indeed it is!" She handed the item over to Tarrant, who sat up to examine it.

"Such an awful vacation," He recalled as he turned it over in his hands. "First father rented that boat from that man - I can't recall his name, but he only had one tooth. Caelan told him not to, but he insisted that it was a fine vessel, and of course, we became stranded…"

"And you were terrified. You cried for hours," Carlie said, smirking. "We all felt so bad for you."

"Well there was that storm, and it was so loud!" Tarrant shivered. "I still hate open water. Father was so upset about the whole thing, didn't he take down the flag from the ship and toss it overboard?"

"And the man charged him for it! I remember his face seeing that bill. Pure rage, really. It was hilarious. Hilariously awful, but still funny."

"Yes, he'd get so animated when he was angry," Tarrant agreed. "It was hard not to laugh."

"Like someone else I know," Carlie nudged him.

"What? Me?" Tarrant half joked.

His eyes turned slightly lighter, and his hair turned slightly redder, both of which Carlie took as good signs.

"Yes, you." She smiled. "You're a lot like him in some ways."

"I suppose," He sighed. "I… I made my peace with him before he passed. I'm glad for that, but I thought we'd have more time. I'd hoped he might be around for a while, and if Alice and I were lucky enough to have children, perhaps he could meet them."

Carlie nodded in understanding.

"It would have been nice," She agreed. "He would have loved them, I'm sure. But you know that part of him always lives on, so long as we remember him."

"I suppose you're right," Tarrant said. "Like that time father got stung by that bee, and he got pink spots all over his face!"

"Ah, yes. Didn't want to face customers for a week," Carlie recalled. "I remember that well, he was so-"

She was cut off by the sound of Tarrant's stomach growling.

"Sorry…" He murmured. "I've not eaten in a while."

"It's good I brought this, then!" Carlie answered, pulling out a small box. "A slice of that pie you always liked."

Tarrant's eyes lit up.

"Luloberry pie?"

"Mm-hmm! And I had Alice put on the daffodil tea. I thought I noticed a nice cake out there, too."

"Yes, that. Alice made it for me, but I hadn't wanted any at the time."

Carlie handed over the box, which also held a fork.

"Enjoy this, and I'll get you some tea and cake as well."

Tarrant took the pie and quickly took a bite, closing his eyes as he did so. At that point, his hair returned to its full color, and his skin started to look better too.

"Thank you, Carlie," he said before taking another bite. "You've saved me, I think."

"Anytime, little brother." Carlie replied.