Strong, slender fingers slid over his face, helping to ground him in the moment. His gaze focused with effort on his partner's eyes as she came down to his level, and he drew in a breath that was half sob. One hand groped for her shoulder, shaking, and he squeezed it as if to reassure himself that she was real. The sudden furry warmth at his back was nearly as familiar as the scaly head pressed against his ribs, Boreal's horns painfully indenting his flesh through his Vest though he didn't seem to mind.
"I'm... I'm okay. I'm okay now. I was..." He trailed off, shuddering as the weight of what had happened finally settled across his shoulders and bowed them until it seemed like only Boreal and Sascha were holding him up. The companions, and Alys's hands cupping his cheeks, stopping him from hiding his face in shame and guilt and regret. "...I wasn't. But I'm not... it's like they got in my head, Alys. Twisted up right an' wrong an' hate an' love an'..." He swallowed back bile and then tugged at her shoulder, tentatively at first, trying to pull her into his arms so he could bury his face in her hair. "... 'm so, so sorry, love. Y'were right. Right about everythin', an' I let y'down. Left y'behind. An' I'm sorry, Alys. I love you an' I'm sorry for ever leavin.'"
"I'm... I'm okay. I'm okay now. I was..." He trailed off, shuddering as the weight of what had happened finally settled across his shoulders and bowed them until it seemed like only Boreal and Sascha were holding him up. The companions, and Alys's hands cupping his cheeks, stopping him from hiding his face in shame and guilt and regret. "...I wasn't. But I'm not... it's like they got in my head, Alys. Twisted up right an' wrong an' hate an' love an'..." He swallowed back bile and then tugged at her shoulder, tentatively at first, trying to pull her into his arms so he could bury his face in her hair. "... 'm so, so sorry, love. Y'were right. Right about everythin', an' I let y'down. Left y'behind. An' I'm sorry, Alys. I love you an' I'm sorry for ever leavin.'"
