He'd had a second-hand grudge against the Voice and been firmly with the Old Gods in that regard, but beyond the personal aspect the greater causes and underpinnings of the War hadn't made much sense to him, either. "Yeah, I know there was a lot of bad stuff that ended up happening, but..." Tal shrugged, grimacing a little at the memory of Zariah's tenure in the Palace and the aftermath of one of the Voice's pet monsters in Halo's Citadel. "Now that it's all over? I think Caido's a better place. As much as shit got shook up, Halo's got green now, an' the Grounds are healthier. An', uh, there's a lot of... floatin' islands an' stuff in Torchline an' Stormbreak?" Was that... really a change for the better? Or just a change? Opinions probably differed.
He shrugged again, some of his awkwardness back as other memories rose unbidden. The terrible look in the Banshee Queen's eyes as she came through the Citadel's gate. The splash of arterial blood from the guards he had known all his life as her handmaiden's claws tore through them. The centuries-old ice shrieking and splitting as the world itself thrashed and cracked under the Core's assault...
Tal shook his head and dug deep for a wan smile for Sohalia, shamelessly using her innocent good cheer to shove the memories back down deep again. "What were they like? Your guardian, I mean?"
He shrugged again, some of his awkwardness back as other memories rose unbidden. The terrible look in the Banshee Queen's eyes as she came through the Citadel's gate. The splash of arterial blood from the guards he had known all his life as her handmaiden's claws tore through them. The centuries-old ice shrieking and splitting as the world itself thrashed and cracked under the Core's assault...
Tal shook his head and dug deep for a wan smile for Sohalia, shamelessly using her innocent good cheer to shove the memories back down deep again. "What were they like? Your guardian, I mean?"
