Torram was immediately regretful when Sapphy shot a frown over her shoulder at him; suitably chastened, he closed his mouth. While there was no small part of him fascinated by the item she pulled from her mother's pocket - like a magic mirror, but for voice! - he shuffled after her as she stormed past. He started to apologize before he realized Sapphy was on a warpath, and nothing he said or did at that particular moment would do any good. He'd have to apologize later, then.
All thought, all the words he might have spoken, dried up as Sapphy and Carla went after each other. A part of him wanted to intervene - his wife was
quite pregnant, after all - but he had a strong feeling any attempts would be most unwelcome at the moment. And, after Carla went down hard, he saw Sapphy didn't need any help fighting these battles, either. He followed obediently as she grabbed his wrist and bolted down the street, not sure what else he could possibly do. This place, these people... they seemed like a nightmare, like they couldn't possibly be real. He'd seen things, terrible things, in his time, but this? How -
how - could anyone survive it? How had Sapphy... He swallowed, his heart breaking as he pictured little Sapphy growing up in this terrible place, amongst all this trash. Had she ever been loved? Held? Told she was better than this place, worth more than this place?
He barely noticed as Sapphy pulled him into the stinking alley, but she got her point across rather deftly from there. He slid his hands to cup her face, brushing a kiss over her temple before he slid his hands to her wrists to hold her still for a moment. He hugged her and mumbled it, those three words he'd been dying to say, under his breath - and
then he complied with her request, filled her need, understanding as he did that it wasn't about the act itself. It was about hurt, about need, about needing to be held. And yeah, it was a little bit about anger, too.
Afterwards he held her close, reluctant to set her back on her feet. He didn't want any part of her touching any part of this.
"Let's go home," he said at last.
TORRAM
my father told me when I was just a child
these are the nights that never die