umbraastaff:

Some of them forgave what Lucretia did, and some of them didn’t. But none of them forgot. None of them would ever forget again.

Merle’s greatest virtue is forgiving the unforgivable. Showing compassion where it is truly needed. He tells her that she’s welcome to live in Bottlenose Cove when she retires. She thanks him, but she doesn’t know if she’ll ever forgive herself enough to stop working for the benefit of the world.

Lup and Barry are busy people. None of the seven birds are people who can truly settle, and that’s why they were chosen for their mission so long ago, but the liches have managed to snag the most travel-heavy, sleepless job of all of them. They keep in touch with Lucretia; as the only ones without memories completely gone, they had the most time to process the events. But they don’t stay in frequent contact. She isn’t a priority.

Davenport understands why she did it. He’s good at reasoning that way. But despite everything, his mind goes blank when he sees her, and especially when she calls him by name. He can’t think, and Davenport is nothing if not a man who thinks. He can’t stand feeling like nothing. He sails far away from everyone who knew him when he wasn’t himself.

Taako doesn’t forgive Lucretia. Certainly not while she’s alive. But he lives the longest out of the five of them who are mortal, and he gains wisdom he could not have gotten when he was so close to everyone, nor when he could not remember them at all. The teachings of a world forever indebted to the seven birds as a whole, not as scattered pieces. He still doesn’t know that he fogives her, but he sometimes stops by to have conversations with her tombstone.

Magnus goes out of his way to meet with Lucretia as often as they can both manage. They are both around many people, but they are lonely. Magnus invites her over for tea, and so she can see his (very good) dogs. They sit and read together; a moment of shared peace. They end every meeting with a tight hug and a promise to meet up again soon. The last time they meet like this, they make that promise again. And it takes longer than usual, but it is kept.