Stutely released a long breath, a little of the tension draining from his shoulders. He felt wrung out, exhausted. But even if the weight hadn't exactly lifted from him... at least for a moment, it felt a little lighter.
"You're a good mate, Tuck," Stutely said quietly as he sank back into his seat. He played with his fork a moment.
There was something he needed to ask. A question that had been playing on him these last few days in conversations with Rob and John, at every conspicuous hesitation and brooding lull. With Tuck's news about the Sheriff and the Prince being back in play, that question loomed again with greater urgency, but after the scene he'd just made it felt almost unfair of him to ask.
"Tell me honestly, Friar. How bad have things been?"