why are you so petrified of silence

Peter heard a great many things about the day to day bustle of the palace, given his new position. He knew Loren was arriving, and in a state apparently, and he had chosen to keep his distance. It's what had always helped him work through his own issues, time and silence and no one trying to help him. It's a plan that works reasonably well, for a few days, but that ultimately falls apart. Almost literally. Peter is wandering the halls, a destination in mind but unimportant, when he turns a corner and stops short, his eyes wide. "Loren." He said softly, a greeting and a question, concern growing on his face. The other man looked awful, worse than anything Peter had imagined. He takes a breath, suddenly feeling very much off balance, uncertain. "I... hello. I'm um... I'm sorry I didn't come to... to see you when you arrived." His start is uncertain, and it only spirals from there, try as Peter might to pull it back into something resembling a normal conversation. "Were you... um, were you trying to get somewhere? I... I could help." Peter try, try your whole life to be righteous and good