The kettle was heating on the hob and Tal was fussing with measuring the tea when he heard the quiet noise of pain from behind him. He didn't drop the tea - he was too careful about wastage for that - but he set it down swiftly and moved back to Soh's side. "Here... lemme see that," he said, voice still gentle. Remembering how she'd flinched from him before he knelt beside her chair and brought his hand up slowly, extending it with the careful patience of a man used to tending injured animals. If she flinched again he would pause and wait patiently until she calmed before he finished bridging the distance between them.
His fingertips were light against her skin as he tilted his own head more than hers to see her black eye in the best light. "Mmf. Don't like that," he mumbled to himself, mouth tugging down into a frown. "Just a sec." He shifted back slowly before he moved back into the kitchen and the little sink. Finding a clean dish cloth he ran cold water over it, soaking it through and then rinsing it out before he padded back and handed it to Soh with pale eyes that asked questions and a mouth that said only. "Here, hold this over it for a while."
His fingertips were light against her skin as he tilted his own head more than hers to see her black eye in the best light. "Mmf. Don't like that," he mumbled to himself, mouth tugging down into a frown. "Just a sec." He shifted back slowly before he moved back into the kitchen and the little sink. Finding a clean dish cloth he ran cold water over it, soaking it through and then rinsing it out before he padded back and handed it to Soh with pale eyes that asked questions and a mouth that said only. "Here, hold this over it for a while."
