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When the sun returned, everyone had different priorities.
Many people stopped whatever they were doing, came outside if they happened to be indoors, and either sat or laid down on the ground for the entire first day. Others rushed straight into trying to rebuild, and bring the world back to some form of normality and order. Some clung tightly to their family and friends while others found a quiet space to go off on their own.
But when daylight returned for the first time in a decade, Talcott got in his truck and headed straight for the ocean. He took off his shoes and walked along the quiet but littered shore of Galdin Quay. The sand felt foreign between his toes as he walked. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been barefoot for longer than it took for him to take a shower, let alone felt warmth from both the sand below and the sun above.
Talcott sat down on the edge of the shore, watching the waves ebb and flow for a while before he closed his eyes. The breeze felt good against his exposed skin and he took a deep breath of the salty air. He’d missed so much. His childhood had come and gone in the blink of an eye while he’d been hiding away in Lestallum, and then later Hammerhead once he’d started driving.
There were people Talcott missed too. He hadn’t been able to see Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto for long before they’d left with King Noctis, and it had been ages since he’d seen Iris, Monica, or Cor. Hopefully now that the sun was back, they’d all be able to spend more time together. While he would always miss his grandfather, the talk he’d had with King Noctis before he left helped Talcott to finally forgive himself. He would have to make sure to thank him once he came back.
Talcott opened his eyes. He smiled gleefully to himself and laughed. Then, with a childish impulse he hadn’t indulged in years, he scooped up a large handful of damp sand. There would be plenty of time to do all sorts of things now, but first… he was going to build a sandcastle.