[ No? yes? oh good, he can swim, which means Ala can tug the boots off her feet and stuff her socks inside before wading knee first into the blood ocean, humming tunelessly under her breath while she tries to think of how to explain. ]

I've been... around.

[ kinda. sorta. ]

Like, not physically, but enough people kept me in their hearts that I was able to find my way back. Does that make sense?