Broken Boulder she's got silver bullets on her tongue

here have the worst post ever

The last thing he'd expected to hear past the ringing in his ears (which had yet to abate in the slightest) was a call from— Dawn. Oh. Oh no. He picked himself up slowly, unwilling to go through the hassle of nearly falling on his ass from moving too quickly; he did that often, lately. The trek to the borders was slower still, and honestly he looked a wreck. The wound on his head would take some time to heal— to stop looking nasty, even— and he had a haggard look about him.

But he was cleaner, more well-kept than usual, and some weight had returned to him already. An odd mash-up of changes, to be sure, but it escaped his own notice. Many things did. He hardly registered the walk through the territory, or anything, really, until he saw her— and that became his focus in an instant.
Dawn, His eyes were distant, glazed-over as he approached; truthfully, this was his new normal, at least for now.
He had not forgotten their last meeting. Her words floated occasionally through the few hollow spaces left in his mind, somehow reaching over the constant ringing. Each time cut as deeply as the first. His perception suddenly shifted and he lurched very slightly, tensing as he struggled for a beat not to lose his footing. A sharp sigh escaped him, and he realized he could not let this go unaddressed.

Sorry, I'm not really at my best right now. What do you need? There was no unfriendliness to his tone, but it was strained slightly; he was in pain, it was too bright out here, his head was spinning, and he did not want to do this. Not right now. Again he nearly lost his balance, and decided this time to just sit down and save himself from further embarrassment.