The queen...? Tal blinked and then whistled low, pulled out of his trauma by the sheer surprise at Maea's words. "I mean, th'rest o'that sounds really good." And there was a wriggling little thought in the back of his brain that maybe he could benefit from such a mature approach to his life and choices, but he ignored it like he usually did. "Y'haven't ever hurt me, but... I get it." It wasn't like he had never hurt anyone without thinking it through before, after all. He shuddered, fingers digging into the tabletop until the flash of pain from his stressed nails brought him back. Pale beneath his brown skin and sweating a little in spite of - or maybe because of? - the Torchline humidity, he grasped for the first straw of distraction he could drag from the murk of his thoughts.
"But Flora's tossin' you out? Why's she so pissed?" He was pretty sure the Doubletake had been peeved at him a time or two, too, but she'd never gone so far as to exile him from Torchline for running late on a delivery! And needing a flower before being allowed back... The courier grimaced in sympathy, shaking his head to try and force the lingering shadows away and focus on his friend across the melting purple jelly as it stained the white cream with increasing streaks of violet.
"But Flora's tossin' you out? Why's she so pissed?" He was pretty sure the Doubletake had been peeved at him a time or two, too, but she'd never gone so far as to exile him from Torchline for running late on a delivery! And needing a flower before being allowed back... The courier grimaced in sympathy, shaking his head to try and force the lingering shadows away and focus on his friend across the melting purple jelly as it stained the white cream with increasing streaks of violet.
