Tal grimaced but nodded reluctant understanding of the quandary that Zavien found himself in with Koa. How did you tell your friend that their family member was infected? It felt like just one more straw on Zav's back, and it was no wonder that the man was being crushed beneath the weight of everything in his life at the moment. It was more than one man should be asked to bear, but Caido wasn't in the habit of taking volunteers.
Zavien's heartbreak was obvious and the courier winced. He leaned back into his friend's shoulder, hoping he could help to ground him the way Boreal did for him, but the admission - the confession - that slipped out before the Dragoon could stop it had Tal reaching an arm around his shoulders to pull his friend into a rough, awkward half-hug again. "Hey, I know I'm not as pretty as Lena, but Boreal an' me an' Sol - we're more'n just chopped liver, aren't we?" Maybe it wasn't the best way to reassure the other man, but unfortunately for Zavien, Tal was all he had in the moment. "An' Koa, too! An' I'm sure there're others, yeah?" He gave his shoulder an extra squeeze. "Wherever y'go, you've got friends, Zav. You're not alone, I promise. An' Lena's trustin' you t'take care o' yourself an' come back when you're ready. Y'just gotta trust in her, too."
Zavien's heartbreak was obvious and the courier winced. He leaned back into his friend's shoulder, hoping he could help to ground him the way Boreal did for him, but the admission - the confession - that slipped out before the Dragoon could stop it had Tal reaching an arm around his shoulders to pull his friend into a rough, awkward half-hug again. "Hey, I know I'm not as pretty as Lena, but Boreal an' me an' Sol - we're more'n just chopped liver, aren't we?" Maybe it wasn't the best way to reassure the other man, but unfortunately for Zavien, Tal was all he had in the moment. "An' Koa, too! An' I'm sure there're others, yeah?" He gave his shoulder an extra squeeze. "Wherever y'go, you've got friends, Zav. You're not alone, I promise. An' Lena's trustin' you t'take care o' yourself an' come back when you're ready. Y'just gotta trust in her, too."
