Garet was none too pleased at the small one's absence over the last few weeks, but he was not heartless. He knew the reasons, or in particularly, the reason why she had not been helping to work the docks lately: Panther. The big, black catish sort.

But he still wasn't happy about it when s'jira finally showed around the docks again. He saw her come around the statue of the Lost Sailor. She'd stopped when seeing him and watched her hand meet the mermaid's bronze arm. He gave her his grumpiest of looks and cut his gaze back to chopping fish heads off and shoving them into a basket at the end of the plank he'd used many times for it.

The smells of the area were strong of the brine, fish, laboring men and women. Even the items being imported and exported filled their air with everything from spices to metals.

"See yer back 'round." Muttered a the small woman as she approached. He didn't look up again just yet.

S'jira did not smile and gaze was a slightly worried thing. "May it be hoped you are well, Garet?"

"Well?" Muttered with just as much seeming interest and upset as he had said his words before. "Well, she asks. 'course not. Tobius be out with illness, Mart be havin' a new babe in his home an' ye be late!" Grumping at her again. He didn't mention immediately that it had been weeks since he'd seen the woman that had been helping at the docks for a handful of years now.

She had made certain she was in one of her old, brown dresses before coming to the docks and her hair was pulled back out of the way. As she was quiet, watchful of her fellow dockworker, she gave him a slight but friendly smile. Then rolled up her sleeves. It might have brought trouble to offer explanation to something Garet already knew about. Instead, she hummed and took up one of the knives to start with the helping him with prepping the fish for market.

It was good for hands to be working again.