Mari furrowed her brows when he started to apologise, shaking her head a little as she squeezed him a little bit tighter, then gave him a little smile. "Hey, no, it's okay," she whispered to him. "Well sort things out, promise... we need to make a plan, make some money and get back to where we were, yeah?" She asked him softly. She didn't want him to be upset... and she knew she hadn't helped in the matter at all, she shouldn't have gotten so upset about everything, but she was trying to fix it. Trying, really, really hard.

Sage started to apologize for apologizing, though stopped after a moment, wrinkling his nose at how pathetic the whole thing seemed. "ok," he sort of whispered after a bit, nodding along with her and then letting out a heavy breath. "I'm just glad you're back," he mumbled, nestling his nose in her neck tiredly, no longer really bothering to hide the fact that he was absolutely exhausted from her. She'd figure that out sooner or later anywya, and he just didn't have the energy anymore to try and hide it. Besides, he knew he needed the rest...he wouldn't get better if he didn't have a few days to relax a bit. But he also knew Mari needed to heal, and they were still not great in terms of money and everything...so he couldn't just lay around either. "There's a few foals due, and we had a filly born a week or so before you came back...so hopefully that turns out in a few more months," he added

Mari nodded softly to the boy after a moment or two, moving her head a little so he could get comfortable. "I'm glad to be back," she whispered to him, gently running her nails up and down his back with a small chuckle. "I've missed being here," she whispered to him gently, pressing a soft kiss to his temple before slipping her hands up his shirt to sort of start massaging where she could. "That's good, then," she murmured to him gently. "Once the foals are weaned we can sell another mare... it'll help us save a little bit, then we can get another, and we can at least get some food," she murmured to him. "Then, when I'm better I can get the kids to mum for a while... I can get a job somewhere and we can go from there. That way you can keep on working with the horses, like you wanted," she murmured softly to him. She wanted to make him happy... and they'd worked so hard to look after these horses over the years, and she was absolutely not going to take this away from him.

Sage hummed lightly in response to her comments about being back, nestling in happily and humming lightly when she kissed his head. Admittedly, he'd leaned into her hands slightly, a sort of huff of air coming from his chest at the touch. He had plenty of bruises from the tavern, but it felt so nice on all the knots from all the stress and worry and grief he didn't even really care. He nodded in response to her comment about the horses too, shrugging a bit. "If Typhoon gets trained up good and turns out well, he could be sold as a solid stud too," he pointed out. "Chaos has plenty of good breeding years left for us," he mused with a sort of shrug. Then, "you just worry about healing up before you start trying to go work," he half chuckled.

Mari shook her head at him after a while, a small smile coming to her face when he let out a huff of air. "That good?" She asked him gently, though when she came across a lightly tender bump on his back she lifted his shirt a bit more to reveal a really dark looking bruise. She gave him a small look before letting out a breath. "We have a few years before he'll be ready... hopefully, we'll be sorted by then, but if no then that's an option." She agreed before giving a small breath of ear. "I'm going to get to work as soon as I can, Sage... we can't live like this and you know it," she murmured gently. She'd spent her whole life worrying about where her next meal was going to come from... so had Sage. She promised her children that they'd never know what that was like, and she'd meant it. They'd make sure they at least have three meals a day, a warm, dry bed and a roof over their head. It was Christmas soon, too... and she wasn't going to let them loose the joy of it all. They'd have a Christmas dinner, a tree, lights and a few gifts each.

Sage couldn't help but him lightly in agreement to her comment of it being good, though he did note that she'd found one of the many bruises on his torso. She didn't make a comment about it, which he had to admit was nice...she'd just gone back to lightly rubbing his back, which was admittedly rather nice. She cared, and he knew that. He nodded with a slight hum about typhoon, and shrugged. "Even if we get him halter trained and everything, once she reaches a year and a half he can breed," he pointed out. He sighed at her comment and nodded, humming an "I know," and then let loose a yawn. "We can't afford to get you hurt again though...why don't you try something you can do from home? Like sewing projects or something like that you can do from the bed," he suggested. "And now I'll have more time so maybe I can sell some art too as a side hustle," he noted sleepily. He'd been planning on that anyway, for Christmas gifts at the very least.

Mari gave a small smile before shrugging. "If that's you want, then we can do that... but I'm thinking more about what we can do now rather than later," she told him softly. "But the art is a good idea... you'd make quite a bit out of that, too," she murmured softly before pressing a light kiss to his cheek. "Your art is always gorgeous. You'd get quite a bit out of that," she murmured softly before letting out a heavy breath. "I suppose... but I get nasty when I'm sat around and you and I both know we don't know how to handle it," she chuckled softly to him. "Maybe until I'm well enough to actually do anything, though," she murmured quietly for a heavy breath. "I just want to make sure the kids have a good Christmas... Sage, I don't want them to go without," she breathed gently. "Even if I didn't come back... I would have wanted you to make it happen for them," she whispered after a moment or so.

Sage hummed lightly and nodded, humming out an "I know" in response to her first comment. He shrugged when she mentioned his art, and grunted slightly when she hit a numb, though it was more eof a that-felt-really-good grunt than an ow grunt. "If people are willing to pay for that sort of thing," he agreed. She got a chuckle out of her comem t about getting nasty, and he nodded before pecking her neck lightly. "Once you're better you can go work somewhere," he promised. "If that's still necessary." He titled his head back to look up at her when she started getting somber again though, and hummed in agreement. "I know...I want it to be a good night," he whispered. "But you are back....so it'll be nice anyway. They've missed you. And so have I," he said softly

Mari gave a small hum when she hit a knot, kind of running her hands over it soothingly before working away at it again. She kind of shrugged at him after a moment or two, though. "They will. You can set up a little stand in the market and spend a few hours a day with orders... you'll make a little bit of money, and it's Christmas soon and people are looking for last minute presents," she told him softly. She nodded in agreement, though. "Well, hun, I'll do what I can from here," she murmured quietly. "We'll figure it out soon enough," she told him, closing her eyes a little as she went to bury her face in the side of his hair and taking a deep breath in. "I've missed them too," she murmured before sort of taking him in a tighter hug. "But I've missed you, as well," she told him quietly before sighing and pressing a soft kiss just under his hair line. "I'm just glad to be back."

Sage hummed and shrugged after a moment. "We can hope so," he mused lightly. She had a point though...any kind of art was somewhat popular, and he hadn't seen much like that for sale out there. People would, hopefully, buy some... especially people with a lot of extra money to spend. He nodded slightly in response to her next comment and sighed slightly, just burying in happily, though gently so as not to hurt her, when she kissed him again. "I'm glad you're back," he murmured. "I have no idea what would have happened if you hadn't," he admitted on a rather tired and probably a bit defeated sounding tone of voice. He did know, though...he'd have probably started to work nights again,and care for the kids and horses through the day as best he could. But she was back, and that wasn't going to happen. And he was certainly so, so glad she was home. "We need to tell your mom and brothers you're all right," he suddenly remembered. "They've had a hard time too," he added softly.