Sarah's expression immediately softened into genuine warmth as she looked down at her younger siblings.
Despite her own exhaustion and the crushing weight of responsibility, her love for Matthew and Celeste remained the one bright constant in her difficult life.
"Oh, poor Matthew, poor Celeste," she said with tender affection, kneeling down to their level for a moment before standing again.
"Come with me, let's make you a sandwich."
She led them toward the kitchen—a generous term for the small space that contained the bare minimum of appliances and storage.
Every cabinet and surface showed signs of use and conservation, the kitchen of people who made every resource stretch as far as possible.
***
After Sarah had ended her stream, Noah called it a day and decided to sleep. The familiar routine of winding down felt comfortin. Especially with everything going on recently, whether the World Tree, or the scam that smith had fallen into.
