Oh. Oh. He knew that voice, it was just usually bouncing around with unsettling cheerfulness inside his skull when he heard it. Hearing it from the outside was actually kind of weird in comparison? Which was something he could mull over later, when his brain had stopped doing the heeby-jeeby wriggles as a four alarm klaxon to the tune of danger, Will Robinson! Danger! blared an adrenaline-filled counterpoint to his thoughts.
Which went something like: Oh shit oh fuck oh fuckity fuck fucks it's HIM why's he here am I gonna die why's his suit on his head? He's looking right at me oh gods he's loo--OW!
The final thought was correlated with Tal losing his battle with gravity in the sudden spinning of his sanity, and his ass hitting the hard-packed sand just above the current tide line. The courier winced, holding his box up protectively between himself and Vox. Peering around it, he finally realized that the other, uh... being? was still waving.
And smiling - ish - which kind of undid any good the waving was doing to reassure the merely mortal man upon the sand.
"Wh-what d'you want?" Because being precise with his words under pressure had never been his strong suit, Tal failed to specify that he meant right now, here in Torchline, instead following his question up with another: "An' why?"
And no, Vox, Tal did not wave back. He was too busy trying to use his empty box as a shield, which kept both of his hands occupied.
Which went something like: Oh shit oh fuck oh fuckity fuck fucks it's HIM why's he here am I gonna die why's his suit on his head? He's looking right at me oh gods he's loo--OW!
The final thought was correlated with Tal losing his battle with gravity in the sudden spinning of his sanity, and his ass hitting the hard-packed sand just above the current tide line. The courier winced, holding his box up protectively between himself and Vox. Peering around it, he finally realized that the other, uh... being? was still waving.
And smiling - ish - which kind of undid any good the waving was doing to reassure the merely mortal man upon the sand.
"Wh-what d'you want?" Because being precise with his words under pressure had never been his strong suit, Tal failed to specify that he meant right now, here in Torchline, instead following his question up with another: "An' why?"
And no, Vox, Tal did not wave back. He was too busy trying to use his empty box as a shield, which kept both of his hands occupied.
