"Yeah, she's real good at that. Better'n I am sometimes. Gotta get a decent compass so I don't have to take her out in the weather but until I get that squared up I know she's got my back." He rests his hand on top of her head, light and protective.

There's a tightness in his chest over just how damned thoughtful that'd been, to put this together for him at the same time that he's finally finishing the repair work on his house. He'd have a functioning kitchen and plumbing and a fireplace with a nice sturdy grate to keep little fingers away from the fire, and be able to actually have a home.

"Hope she doesn't mind when I fuck it up the first go-round," he murmurs as he tucks the book into a pocket of his pack that's resting nearby his table. "You gonna come n' help taste test?"