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*The three step out of the room and Darnell starts to follow Khal but after a moment, he just...slows to a stop and shifts to lean back on the wall, staring at the ceiling.*

Lopen: *has been right there with him the whole time, and he'll stop by Darnell, resting a hand on his shoulder*

Khal: *realizes they stopped and he stops too, returning* ...Are you all right, sir?

Darnell: I-I, ah...y-yes...yes, I'm sorry. *runs a hand down his face and pushes off the wall, intending to continue following, pushing his own reactions down, now's not the time*

Lopen: *notes the room across the hall is empty.* Give us a moment, will you Captain?

Khal: *nods* Of course.

Lopen: *will catch Darnell by the elbow and lead him into the room, closing the door* Let yourself react, Darnell. It’s been a lot, take a moment for yourself.

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Darnell: *at "give us a moment", he shakes his head* Lopen, no, I- *but then he can't bring himself to say 'all right' because...he's not, not at all, not now that the majority of what he's come here to do, /here/ and this city at all, is done with - he lets Lopen pull him into the room, though he shakes his head* No, I...I don't think I can do that. I-I might fall apart if I do. *ONLY because he trusts Lopen, has worked with him so many times, does he admit that . . . and in that moment, Lopen will see the tenderhearted and too-young-for-such-enormity twenty-year-old behind the competent, capable Master Detective*

Lopen: We all need to let ourselves fall apart sometimes Darnell. It’s the mark of the truly strong who can let themselves deal, and then pull the pieces together again to continue on. *squeezes Darnell’s shoulder.* I know this is overwhelming, and that’s okay. I’m with you, Darnell. Shen is with you. Raida is with you. We’ve got this, and we’ve got you. Give yourself a moment. It’s okay. *he, Teft, and Shen always call Darnell by title, either Detective, or at least “sir”. It’s a mark of respect for a young man they’ve fome to believe in, but this isn’t about positions. This is personal, and so he’s calling Darnell by name, speaking as a friend, not just another soldier. And if Darnell doesn’t protest, Lopen will pull this incredible young man into a hug.*

Darnell: *it will occur to him later that Lopen's actually calling him by name (he's expressly given them all permission to do so), but for now, he /does/ at least register the familiarity, the personal tone - he's still digesting the words when Lopen moves to pull him in, so he startles a bit, but then he buries in, hugging back tightly* A-all these poor people, and that...that /monster/! How can someone be so viciously cruel, so...so /evil/? Doing.../that/? To anyone? To little kids!? A-and I...I almost lost you last night, you and Shen both. I-I know you're soldiers, I know you fight and put your lives on the line for king and country, but you...you're also my /friends/. I don't want to lose you! *he's not outright crying - the hug of someone he trusts and cares about is helping keep him grounded (that said...he's /clinging/), but there /are/ tears on his face*

Lopen: I honestly don’t know, and I’m honestly nit sure I /want/ to understand how such a monster thinks. Things will be better for these people now. Thanks to you. Thanks to Raida. Thanks to Talim. *squeezes Darnell a little tighter.* Trust me, no soldier wants to die. We all dream of growing old and dying peacefully in our beds knowing we did good with our lives. I’m glad to still be here. And I don't want to lose you, either.

Darnell: *huffs a sob, and then he is crying - not hard, but it's a release he definitely needs. He'll cry for a few minutes before quieting and then pulling himself back together the rest of the way. He pulls out a rag from his satchel to clean his face before he looks up* Thank you, Lopen. I...I guess I needed that. Thanks.

((Btw, if you want, Khal heard everything. Darnell for one wasn't being particularly quiet, especially from "poor people" to "don't want to lose you"))

Lopen: *smiles* Yes. You did. And never be ashamed by it. We’re people, we’re not rocks with no emotions. When you’re ready. *motions at the door*

Darnell: *nods, runs the rag over his face one more time before tucking it away, pulling a deep breath, and heading back out into the hallway* Sorry about that, Captain.

Khal: *pretty much heard it all, but gives no indication.* No worries, sir. *will continue off down the hall, taking them back to the others.*

Darnell: *half wonders if the man heard, though...as Lopen said, he's not ashamed, at least not of caring about people enough to be so upset for everyone's sakes - will pause in the doorway an instant, taking in the sight, before he enters and interrupts anything*

Kendra: *looks at him the moment he arrives. And relaxes. She’ll get up and go to him, interruptinf Raida’s story. She’ll reach for him.*
Raida: *just telling the kids a story, but when Kendra gets up she’ll look over at the door to see why. She smiles.*
*Talim, Wes, and Jerrin will look too, each giving their own form of silent greeting.*
Shen: *gives Darnell a little salute.*

Darnell: *gives her a big grin and readily picks her up, settling her on his hip opposite his satchel* How are you doing, sweetie? *gives everyone else nods of greeting in return*

Kendra: *doesn’t speak, just studies his face, touches his cheek, softly brushing fingers down it a few times, before tucking against him.*

Darnell: *hugs her to him, mindful of her wounds* I'll take that as 'I'm all right, thank you.' *looks up at Wes and Talim* I found the papers for both of you in my raid of DuPrae's study last night. I'm sure neither of you has any wish to stay here even with the changes to be made, for the better. You're both welcome to come with me back to the capitol.

Talim: *knows ge can’t be free, so...* You’d be my master? *hopeful*
Wes: *will wait for Darnell’s answer to Talim.*

Darnell: Either me or more likely another home, but one where I know you'd be safe and cared for. I travel too much to keep much of a household of my own. Raida being here is unusual for me for a case. But whatever happens, I'll make sure it's the best for you.

Talim: ...*nodnod*
Wes: *nod* Thank you, Detective.

Darnell: *nods, then shifts a bit, voice a bit low* Wes . . . can I speak to you for a moment? In private? *doesn't sound like anything bad, Wes will have /no/ indication he's in trouble or anything, just…it's something important Darnell needs to talk to him about*

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