Fortunately, the top of Soh's foot was one area that had remained uninjured, and the contact grounded her enough that she could voice what was, in this moment, her deepest fear. She braced herself for a reaction - what type of reaction, she didn't know - and was surprised when Tal's voice was soft with reassurance. Even if it was a brusque kind of comfort, she'd never paid any particular attention to Tal's gruffness before. Now there was a lump in her throat, fresh tears welling in her eyes as she considered her friend's generosity. Would he still have the same opinion after she told him what she'd done?
"I - I went to dinner at this restaurant in the Silk Houses last night," she began, her voice thick with unshed tears. She cleared her throat and took a sip of her tea. "There's this restaurant there, the Red Lion, it's one of my favorites. Anyway, when I left, I wasn't paying attention, and this man said he thought I'd dropped something, so I stopped..." Gods, if only she'd been more wary! "I thought he was just trying to rob me." Her voice sounded far away in her ears. "But then -" She broke off, trembling. "I - I tried to fight back, but I - I -"
She paused, trying to overcome her emotions. It was bad enough what the man had tried to do to her, but how was what she'd done to him any better? She forced herself to go on. "I ended up stabbing him," she confessed in a whisper. "I think - I think I killed him." She continued to shake, wrapping her arms around herself as though to hold herself together. Everything got a little fuzzy after that, a combination of shock and trauma, and now her brow furrowed in confusion. "And after that, I - it's all a blur. I know that Mateo was there, and he did... something with some kind of... talisman? And he said that the man wasn't dead, and then we ran..."
Her eyes were faraway and tormented as she relived the evening. She still didn't truly understand what Mateo had done to save the man, but she knew she'd been relieved not to be a murderer. But then, she'd seen the life leave the man's eyes. Even if he'd been brought back from the brink of death, she knew what she'd almost done. Didn't that make her a monster?
"I - I went to dinner at this restaurant in the Silk Houses last night," she began, her voice thick with unshed tears. She cleared her throat and took a sip of her tea. "There's this restaurant there, the Red Lion, it's one of my favorites. Anyway, when I left, I wasn't paying attention, and this man said he thought I'd dropped something, so I stopped..." Gods, if only she'd been more wary! "I thought he was just trying to rob me." Her voice sounded far away in her ears. "But then -" She broke off, trembling. "I - I tried to fight back, but I - I -"
She paused, trying to overcome her emotions. It was bad enough what the man had tried to do to her, but how was what she'd done to him any better? She forced herself to go on. "I ended up stabbing him," she confessed in a whisper. "I think - I think I killed him." She continued to shake, wrapping her arms around herself as though to hold herself together. Everything got a little fuzzy after that, a combination of shock and trauma, and now her brow furrowed in confusion. "And after that, I - it's all a blur. I know that Mateo was there, and he did... something with some kind of... talisman? And he said that the man wasn't dead, and then we ran..."
Her eyes were faraway and tormented as she relived the evening. She still didn't truly understand what Mateo had done to save the man, but she knew she'd been relieved not to be a murderer. But then, she'd seen the life leave the man's eyes. Even if he'd been brought back from the brink of death, she knew what she'd almost done. Didn't that make her a monster?
