Water rumbled up the shale beach, settled. Then ebbed back out again dragging with it some of the shells that had gathered there. Though the sun beat down, it was not warm. No breeze blew here. Death stood beside her to look out across the ocean, seemingly in understanding that the lost sheep would not be joining the flock at this present time. The girl looked up at the sunken, milky eyes in the hollow-skull face. "Are you lonely?" she quested. Death inclined her head a little, and as Falene had become accustomed to, said nothing. The words tumbled before she could stifle them. "I know what it's like to be lonely. I know what it means to have regret." She turned her head back to look back across the rolling foam that frolicked across the pebbles. "But I suppose Death is quite familiar with that concept. You must claim a lot of souls who died regretful of their lives." When she looked back to the shepherdess, Death had angled her skull to stare silently over Falene's shoulder. With a dread poised upon her fleecy shoulders she followed that gaze. The lamb knew the half bald and haggard looking black bird that perched upon the cloaked shoulder, and the man who was wrapped within the swathes of darkness. "Do you believe in omens girl?" said a voice, terrifyingly close to her ear.