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A memory? Bakh wanted to see a memory of his? Tavish jumped at the opportunity, only pausing a moment to figure out which one he should choose.
This was important! Bakh had showed him such vulnerability and Tavish needed to reflect that, to express how much his heart was reaching out for the other in understanding.
… He knew the memory he needed to show him.
***
A young wood elf sits in the back of a tavern, in a small private entryway by the kitchen. He is around 6 years of age. The wood of the bench he sits on is old and worn, and it is set in an indentation in the wall. His fingers rest on the slats of the bench, the texture giving him something to feel. He is blank.
His right eye has gone pale. It is intact, but has no vision. Magic can not fix everything.
The room is mostly dim, but the shadows of the adults in the doorway stretch over him. They are discussing him. Bartering. Trying to find a place and a use for him.
The man that found him is trying to pawn him off to the innkeeper. He found the boy, so he was tasked with figuring out what to do with him. He is not happy with this obligation. It's what he gets for trying to help.
The innkeeper doesn't particularly want the boy either, but he may prove useful for a little while.
They do not care that he can hear them.
"I guess we'll take the boy," the innkeeper finally sighs. "We could use some extra hands. He better earn his keep, though."
The man soon leaves without saying a word to him. This is where he will stay for now, until this woman tires of him and sends him to someone else who will say something similar. This will become a trend.
***
Tavish met Bakh's eyes to find a similar understanding in them. A wave of relief washed over him; no one else would have received the message exactly the way he meant to convey it. He knew that Bakh would.
In a way they had come from similar origins, but had ended up in such different places. Tavish tried to convey with his eyes that he truly believed they could find a way at out of this together. He fully believed in Bakh.