Running through my head

In truth, Tal had paid little enough attention to the Wardens that came after Neron; and Neron he'd avoided like a plague, his anger and bitterness towards the outlander Launceleyn a constant simmer that had come to a boil when his father had died defending the gates from the consequences of Neron's actions. It wasn't until stumbling upon Morgen's death in Whitebrim that he'd been dragged back into the Citadel's politics, and after Sah's brief stint as regent Noah had been the ruler he'd known best until Deimos took over. Knowing that Hotaru had been co-Warden once before, when Tal had so rarely been in the Citadel, was more an academic memory than one that felt solid and real to him, but as far as the courier was concerned Ru was better than any Warden.

She was his friend, and the first family he'd found outside of his blood sisters.

And she understood, in a way he wondered if anyone else really would. Or could.

But that was a problem for another day. Now, in the moment, he hugged her close, tea stains and all, grateful for the teasing that was almost normal for them. "Can do that," he agreed, a rueful smile quirking his lips. "I'm more used t'livin' out o' th'Peregrine an' my courier stations these days than anywhere else. Shouldn't take two shakes of an ursur tail t'pack me up." For better or worse, and whatever that said about his current lifestyle that he didn't want to look too closely at. "What about you? Need any help boxin' things up here?"