[Amal is fresh off of a six year stint completely avoiding talking about his backstory or straight up lying about it, so he understands where Varian is coming from. The trepidation is real and valid. But like his friends who were supportive to him, Amal is paying it forward now, so that Varian has some measure of comfort.]
It's no use thinking about the what-ifs. Some things are only for the gods to know, as they say.
[He slips out of his chair and kneels beside Varian's instead. Don't assume he missed the beginning of those tears. He loops his arm around the back of Varian's chair but doesn't pull him into a hug—though the offer is there. He doesn't know how touchy the teen is, and doesn't want to push a boundary.]
You're here now, and that means something. So you take one step forward, and then another, and then another after that. Little by little, it'll get easier, until you're not thinking about how heavy your boots are anymore.
I know because I've been there. I wasn't much older than you when they locked me up the first time.
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It's no use thinking about the what-ifs. Some things are only for the gods to know, as they say.
[He slips out of his chair and kneels beside Varian's instead. Don't assume he missed the beginning of those tears. He loops his arm around the back of Varian's chair but doesn't pull him into a hug—though the offer is there. He doesn't know how touchy the teen is, and doesn't want to push a boundary.]
You're here now, and that means something. So you take one step forward, and then another, and then another after that. Little by little, it'll get easier, until you're not thinking about how heavy your boots are anymore.
I know because I've been there. I wasn't much older than you when they locked me up the first time.