[SE] if we never made a sound

At least Tal had enough basic courtesy pounded into him by his sisters that he sipped his tea rather than slurping it, though he came perilously close to gulping it down now that it had had time to cool during their conversation. It definitely tasted better with Sohalia's smile to go with it, the Luminary revealing the resilience that her anxieties sometimes tried to bury.

"You're not addin' anythin'," he assured his friend, his words punctuated with an emphatic snort from the dragon at her feet. "In fact, I'd be downright insulted if y'hired anyone else!" He grinned to show that he was teasing, reaching for the pot to pour them both more tea. "Torchline's th'safest from th'Void. Uh... th'Grounds isn't too bad? Their Inner Quarter is shielded like Torchline is, at least. Halo an' King's End don't... actually have any Void-proof barriers up though," Tal admitted with a faint grimace. "But th'only places that are currently proper fucked are th'Greatwood an' Feverlands, I think. Noah an' Flora an' Sah helped me fight this big nasty fucker in th'Oerwoud, an' it's a lot less fucky there now," he informed Sohalia proudly, straightening a little in his seat. "Just th'usual amount o' Void stuff these days, not like in th'Greatwood." Which was still, frustratingly, purple to the proverbial gills.