Tyson merely shifted his position and stood up, kicking some debris out of the way as he did so.

"Sound good?" he asked. "No, not really." he said.

"Sound like something I really should do? Yes." he told her.

"The kitchen staff will probably be surprised to see me." he then went on, rolling his eyes.

"Ask me what the occasion is and all that bullshit." he muttered further.

"At least they'll be happy to see..." he then went on, but paused for a moment.

"...who they think is our Hazel." he sighed.

No sooner had she finished that, did she find herself grabbed and pulled close to him. His arms wrapped around her, and even though his grip wasn't hurting her, she found it inescapable.

"...stay with me." he said.

"Even if just until you have to go." he told her.

"Don't leave me like everyone else has." he said further.

His voice was still a little monotone, but she could hear it. The pain. The suffering. The loneliness.

It was all coming to a head, and she had been the one to cause that dam to finally bust. For his own good.

As soon as she returned the embrace, she noticed something. It seemed like Ty had calmed down a LOT more. Her brushing his hair had done a little, her placing her arms on his shoulders had done more, and this had done more, still.

Ty just continued to hold onto her, before she felt him get a little... unsteady.

"...ngh." he mumbled.

"Tired as well." he said.

"Guess I should sleep after eating..." he reasoned.

"Okay." Tyson responded, before he let go, and followed her out of the room, staying close to her. When they stepped out of the room, he checked his pockets, and then shut the door.

"...hm." he mumbled.

"...yeah... need to... clean up..." he muttered.

"Smells... nice out here." he went on.

"Smells... fresh." he admitted.

"...I can't promise that, Hazel." Tyson said to her.

"But I can promise I'll try." he told her. "I don't know if I can ever be anything close to the man I was." he admitted. "But... I WILL try." he promised, as he looked around.

"....and you're just down from me?" he asked.

She nodded in response.

"...I see." he said.

"Hopefully far enough away that my night terrors don't wake you up."

As soon as she said the name, Tyson flinched.

And looked away.

That was all the answer she needed, but he spoke afterwards.

"...yes." he said.

"Her screams... they haunt me." he told her.

"I can never get them out of my head. Every time I close my eyes... I hear them." he went on.

"..." he was then silent, before biting his bottom lip.

Tyson looked into her eyes as she held his hands and said what she did. He wasn't sure what to say at the moment, but did nod in response.

"...all right." he said.

"I will." he told her.

"...I'm tired of spending my nights alone..." he then admitted, looking down slightly.

"No sleep... always hearing the cries, the yelling..." he went on.

"It's... it's driving me mad, Hazel."

Ty flinched a little when she mentioned Hal.

And she could see why. He felt guilty. He realised what he had been doing, but didn't know if he could change. She could see he'd been hurt badly, and there was a chance it was something he would never fully recover from.

And it also seemed that the only solace he'd managed to find was found at the bottom of a bottle.

She wondered how many times it'd been too much for him, and his ability kicked in, regenerating him... but she also figured this wasn't the time to ask.

"...sure." he then finally said.

"All right." he muttered as they walked.

"I'm sorry." Tyson apologised.

"Miki was the straw that broke the camel's back." he told her.

"And you... you being taken was... it pushed me off the edge." he went on, before pausing.

"...I know those sound like euphemisms, but I mean them in different ways." he then clarified.

"Regardless, I'm sorry, but... I just... didn't know how to cope. I still don't know how to cope." he admitted to her. "...well, I know how to cope ONE way, but... it's not well-liked..." he mumbled further.

"Guess that's why most people decide to not interact with me." he lamented.

Her last words seemed to sting him a little, albeit unintentionally.

"...please don't be." he said.

"I don't want to deal with losing you AGAIN." he told her.

"I think that... that might finally do it for me. For good." he went on, shaking a little at the mere thought of it.

"Just... no. Don't. Don't go missing." he whispered, as he stopped briefly to compose himself, regulating his breath and making sure he wasn't about to be thrown into the throes of panic.

He was almost hyperventilating for a moment, before he managed to shake it off, sigh, and continue on.