Thorn was pretty, and flirty, and confident, and outgoing; in short, he was lots of things that Tal wasn't, and maybe he was just kidding himself to think that the courtesan would want anything more to do with him. Maybe he had no place claiming the other man as anything remotely like a friend, even a maybe-future one, and that nervousness came through in his sudden, babbling caveats. Sunjata listened like a champ, though, and when he discerned the employee of whom Tal spoke the courier ducked his head in a bob of confirmation. "...Oh. Huh. Well... I'll keep in touch with 'im," he agreed, though he was clearly surprised to hear that the personable young man didn't have many friends.
Mother Molly's was going to take a little more courage to tackle, but with Sunjata's support to at least help him get through the front door, it seemed a lot more doable. Before the Flood had met him at the Hart, Tal had been anxiously spinning in circles, struggling with the fallout of his meddling and the consequences of his actions. Now he had a tentative plan and felt a lot less overwhelmed. His gratitude was genuine, especially given the rather uncomfortable conversation he'd just made his Archon endure.
And the alcohol in his second bottle made it easier to take a deep breath and scrunch his nose up as he made a conscious effort not to let his face fall into its usual scowl. Instead he cleared his throat and flexed his fingers around his drink, still looking down as he worked his way past his stubborn pride. Or at least, what pitiful tatters remained of it at this point in the meeting. He'd had plenty of time to think about things since their last conversation, and now he made his best effort to put those thoughts into words. "And, uh. I figure... I owe you an apology," he added, clearing his throat. "'Bout King's End, an' what y'want t'do there. I was really attached t'gettin' th'Docks built. Still am. But... well. Buildin' th' town first, if that's what y'want t'do... least I can do is lend a hand if y'still need help with it." For the sake of King's End, and working on being more of a team player.
Mother Molly's was going to take a little more courage to tackle, but with Sunjata's support to at least help him get through the front door, it seemed a lot more doable. Before the Flood had met him at the Hart, Tal had been anxiously spinning in circles, struggling with the fallout of his meddling and the consequences of his actions. Now he had a tentative plan and felt a lot less overwhelmed. His gratitude was genuine, especially given the rather uncomfortable conversation he'd just made his Archon endure.
And the alcohol in his second bottle made it easier to take a deep breath and scrunch his nose up as he made a conscious effort not to let his face fall into its usual scowl. Instead he cleared his throat and flexed his fingers around his drink, still looking down as he worked his way past his stubborn pride. Or at least, what pitiful tatters remained of it at this point in the meeting. He'd had plenty of time to think about things since their last conversation, and now he made his best effort to put those thoughts into words. "And, uh. I figure... I owe you an apology," he added, clearing his throat. "'Bout King's End, an' what y'want t'do there. I was really attached t'gettin' th'Docks built. Still am. But... well. Buildin' th' town first, if that's what y'want t'do... least I can do is lend a hand if y'still need help with it." For the sake of King's End, and working on being more of a team player.
