[Joss notices how quiet Hien's voice suddenly is. His own voice gets softer as well.]
I try.
[He pensively watches the moonlight glint off the job crystal's facets, his thumb mindlessly tracing the edges. The fight with Esteem wasn't the only time the stone brought forth a buried aspect of his mind, and it isn't like he cares about hiding it from Hien, but between the lack of sleep, his retelling of some rather emotional events and the whole thing about Azem... he can't help but feel a little mentally drained. He pockets the crystal again.]
I ought to sleep. [He starts to move back towards the tent, but momentarily hesitates and stops.] More to the tale if you want to hear it. But another time.
[He doesn't really know why it's easier to tell Hien about these things. Maybe it's something about Hien's personality, or the fact he seems to know much about the workings of the mind. Maybe it's because this isn't his world, and so there are no political repercussions to him showing weakness outside of his usual circle of friends. Maybe he just wants Hien to understand him better as a person, since the man seems to legitimately care about his well-being.
Maybe a bit of all that, plus a touch of loneliness]
no subject
I try.
[He pensively watches the moonlight glint off the job crystal's facets, his thumb mindlessly tracing the edges. The fight with Esteem wasn't the only time the stone brought forth a buried aspect of his mind, and it isn't like he cares about hiding it from Hien, but between the lack of sleep, his retelling of some rather emotional events and the whole thing about Azem... he can't help but feel a little mentally drained. He pockets the crystal again.]
I ought to sleep. [He starts to move back towards the tent, but momentarily hesitates and stops.] More to the tale if you want to hear it. But another time.
[He doesn't really know why it's easier to tell Hien about these things. Maybe it's something about Hien's personality, or the fact he seems to know much about the workings of the mind. Maybe it's because this isn't his world, and so there are no political repercussions to him showing weakness outside of his usual circle of friends. Maybe he just wants Hien to understand him better as a person, since the man seems to legitimately care about his well-being.
Maybe a bit of all that, plus a touch of loneliness]