He could only nod in response, glumly accepting Delia's patience and grateful for it, in his own stubborn way. It would have been harder, coming from Sah or his sisters, and he wasn't close enough to Noah to even bring it up with the former Warden. He would have been far too embarrassed; and besides, Noah was far more Deimos's friend than the courier's. But with Delia... and maybe Ru... he could talk about things a little without bristling up and going silent.
Well, most of the time.
Still, he listened avidly to how things had worked out with Delia and Sah, trying not to look like he was hanging on every word when he very much was. When she finished he took a deep breath and tried to figure out where his own situation fit within what she'd just described--
And then she was facing him and he had to stop abruptly or risk running into her. He blinked wide, pale eyes at the sudden turnabout and at her intensity. His jaw clicked shut and he swallowed hard, stumbling over his words. "I... I want to but... what if he's still mad at me? An' doesn't want to talk t'me? He's the one who walked away! An'... Delia, I'm not mad at him!" Tal scowled and glared down at his boots in the snow. "Everythin' was fine until--" He snapped his teeth shut on the words, shoulders hunching in a quiet agony of indecision.
Well, most of the time.
Still, he listened avidly to how things had worked out with Delia and Sah, trying not to look like he was hanging on every word when he very much was. When she finished he took a deep breath and tried to figure out where his own situation fit within what she'd just described--
And then she was facing him and he had to stop abruptly or risk running into her. He blinked wide, pale eyes at the sudden turnabout and at her intensity. His jaw clicked shut and he swallowed hard, stumbling over his words. "I... I want to but... what if he's still mad at me? An' doesn't want to talk t'me? He's the one who walked away! An'... Delia, I'm not mad at him!" Tal scowled and glared down at his boots in the snow. "Everythin' was fine until--" He snapped his teeth shut on the words, shoulders hunching in a quiet agony of indecision.
