There were warm arms around him and a comfortingly familiar scent in his nose - what little he could smell with it still running - and a friendly voice saying all the right, soothing things to him. It didn't happen immediately or all at once, but the Messenger's heartrate finally began to slow, his breath coming less harsh and rapid, and some of the brutal tension began to ease from knotted muscles beneath Sah's arm.
"I'm so. Fuckin' done. With th'Family an' their stupid fuckin' Void bullshit," he finally managed to get out, a small tremor remaining in his voice that might have been muffled by Sah's shirt. But saying the words seemed to release some of the trauma that had wrapped around him so tightly, and Tal took a steadier breath and tried to straighten up from within his friend's embrace. At least enough that he could rub the heel of his hand across his eyes and then swipe it across his nose to take care of the dripping. "Me an' Alys were... our home was attacked over LongNight. By a Void monster." He figured he owed Sah some sort of explanation for his breakdown, even if he practically had to force the words out. "I... we're... she didn't get hurt. An' Boreal's fine but... someone else... isn't." He grimaced, glancing down, unwilling to meet Sah's gaze. "I dunno what sorta shape she was in before but... it used some poor woman as a... a human shield." He swallowed hard, fingers clenching into the fabric of Sah's shirt. "An' I... I didn't know she was there when I..." Fuck, he hadn't realized getting the words out would be so hard. "I killed 'er, Sah. Tryin' t'keep it from gettin' inside th'house. An' then it stopped attackin' us so it could eat her eyes an' slink back into th'dark."
"I'm so. Fuckin' done. With th'Family an' their stupid fuckin' Void bullshit," he finally managed to get out, a small tremor remaining in his voice that might have been muffled by Sah's shirt. But saying the words seemed to release some of the trauma that had wrapped around him so tightly, and Tal took a steadier breath and tried to straighten up from within his friend's embrace. At least enough that he could rub the heel of his hand across his eyes and then swipe it across his nose to take care of the dripping. "Me an' Alys were... our home was attacked over LongNight. By a Void monster." He figured he owed Sah some sort of explanation for his breakdown, even if he practically had to force the words out. "I... we're... she didn't get hurt. An' Boreal's fine but... someone else... isn't." He grimaced, glancing down, unwilling to meet Sah's gaze. "I dunno what sorta shape she was in before but... it used some poor woman as a... a human shield." He swallowed hard, fingers clenching into the fabric of Sah's shirt. "An' I... I didn't know she was there when I..." Fuck, he hadn't realized getting the words out would be so hard. "I killed 'er, Sah. Tryin' t'keep it from gettin' inside th'house. An' then it stopped attackin' us so it could eat her eyes an' slink back into th'dark."
