[html]
[/html]The very prospect of his loneliness had yet to sink it with all the turmoil blinding him, but when his mind was clear, he would soon see the worst of it was not even half over. With his family dead, he had nothing; that much he knew now. But the definition of nothing was just that. He had no friends, not any nearby anyway, and surely none that were close enough anymore to make any sort of significant difference. In retrospect, if he'd known this was going to happen, he would've stayed. Maybe then they could have made an impact, maybe then they could have fixed him with their compassion, and their wisdom. But no, not anymore. Now he was left alone, the only soul left to carry the burden of their stories.
When Haven spoke, Locke nodded mutely at his reasoning. He had no intention of venturing out into the weather, especially now that the sky had opened up, and the rain was pouring down. Haven then offered the spare room, out of what, Locke wasn't sure. The goodness of his own pure heart, or pity? Regardless, the younger man continued to surprise him with his kindness, especially when he wasn't even predisposed to be nice to a stranger of all things. He cast a glance out the window, only to see the driving rain beating against the window, and not much else beyond. It was amazing how the weather nearly mimicked his current emotional state, like the whole scene had been set up just for this moment. Of course, that was foolish, but Locke was willing to believe anything at this point to keep his mind off the bundle in his hand, and the woman he loved and lost.
Before he could lose himself in his thoughts, the stallion whinnied (presumably frightened by all the noise). Haven turned and grabbed a blanket before disappearing into the storm. Locke turned, and walked towards the spare room, bundle in hand. He didn't spare a glance to the room itself, instead busied himself with setting his children delicately on the floor, making sure the linen was secure around their bodies, before quickly stepping away and back out of the room.
Haven returned a few moments later, and deftly lit a fire to chase the chill of the storm from the room. Locke leaned against a nearby wall, and slid down to sit propped against it. He stared at the beginnings of the flame for a prolonged moment, before looking up towards Haven. "Your company is enough." He said softly, "My name is Locke." He wrapped his arms around his knees, and rested his head on them, watching as the flame slowly grew.