"What?" Basch wasn't sure what she meant until he replayed her previous statements in his mind. After he simply smiled thoughtfully at her. "Why? My mother is hardly an inappropriate topic, especially in this place." Inwardly, Basch could echo Elena's silent sentiments that all that remained alive of his family was likely in this place. "She would have liked you."
Another box was pulled from the shelf, one that looked far younger than many of the others around it, also labeled with his name. Setting it carefully on the floor he opened it to realize that everything within were items of his that he'd had in his quarters while serving Lord Raminas. Of course, everything had to go somewhere. From the heftiness, and simply knowing what he had in his quarters, he imagined the bottom of the box was lined with books, though not the contents toward the surface. A carefully folded cloth revealed a necklace that he'd long forgotten, the shape resembling a bird with its wings folded before it in an arc. It had been a gift from his mother upon his acceptance into the Raminas household, an item that her own father had worn years before. He held it in his hand for a moment before setting Willard down long enough to fix it into place around his neck, the weight familiar and comfortable.
More digging revealed a picture of him in the armor of the court, the gear worn for special occassions, the very set of armor he'd compared the judge magister suit to in an earlier conversation with Elena. He offered it to Elena second later, fully intent on exploring the box even more before a glint on the lowest shelf caught his attention. The box was momentarily forgotten, and Basch stood long enough to get closer, only to crouch again. Two boxes were pushed aside to reveal an elegantly detailed, long metal case, and instantly Basch knew what was inside.
The case was carefully pulled from its resting place, leaving behind an imprint of its shape within the dust. The weight of it was set onto the floor with a care and respect years of experience in watching it in reverence had accumulated. A metallic tag on the surface in the corner of the case detailed his father's name, rank, and the weapon type within, and despite being very aware of the information, Basch grazed a finger over the engraving just to feel the letters under his skin. Finally, both hands traveled to the fasteners, clicking them up and open before the lid was pulled up to lean against the shelving behind it.
Oathguard gleamed as if it had been shined and cared for only moments before, resting comfortably within the weapon case made specifically for it. For a few seconds Basch could only stare at it, his mouth opening as if beginning to speak, but any words that threatened to pour out completely failed him.