Now I'm sure that it's true
Koa squeezes Jude's shoulder as he settles into the chair, wondering distantly at just how sharp and slender the young man's body is. He waits until the boy seems settled before letting go, picking his way back to the too-hard seat behind his too-small dusk and hoping very much that he looks more reassuring and authoritative than he feels.
And then Jude tells him that there's been multiple murders.
Cool. Cool. Cool cool cool cool cool cool cool.
It's not the bombshell Koa woke up expecting, and he knows he's very much out of his depth. But gods, Jude looks so broken, and it's taking all of Koa's self control not to go back around the desk and sweep him up into an embrace. Instead he does his best to listen with empathetic neutrality, not responding until the piece is said. And when at last the bloodshot eyes rise back up and meet his the Dragoon has to clench his fist to keep from crying in turn - that, or running out the door in search of an adult. For all his time as a soldier, Koa has very, very little experience with witnessing real death; he can't imagine what Jude has been through, the horrors witnessed on that fateful day, and has very little reference for how to comfort him now.
So Koa does what he does best: he simply soldiers on. "It's okay, Jude" Koa replies firmly, which is maybe a lie but it seems to be what Jude needs to hear. "Thank you for telling me. It sounds like this was self defense." He's nodding as he says it, maybe to hammer home the point, maybe to convince himself.
"I'm going to ask you a few questions, okay? To get a better idea of what happened." A reassuring smile is offered to Jude, trying to put the poor boy a little at ease. Collecting a pen and a piece of paper, he poises himself to take notes. "First of all - you said you were with your brother? What was his name?" He'll need to track the other man down to ask some questions.
"Can you describe the people who attacked you? How many were there? Did they say why they say why they were attacking, or were there any distinguishing marks or sigils on their clothing that you can recall?"
and I'm nothing like you
