As Ash shrank further into himself and it became clear he would not be leaving the floor any time soon, Kjell knelt down beside the Toreador and propped his long arms on his knees and frowned thoughtlessly. This was like watching a flower wilt.
He listened to what the miserable man had to say, first about himself and then about the event. None of it was especially informative, but the initial assessment of a traumatized man rarely was. Such things took time. "Not anticipating an unprovoked action does not make you a failure," he returned in a tone that was still soft but increasingly stern, leaving no room for argument, "You're likely right about what came of your security. But that says more about the determination of the malefactors than it does about you or your efforts."
Punctuating this point, he placed a spindly, clawed hand on the man's shoulder. Most would find this unsettling; Ash was likely the exception. Then he continued.
"...And you are only useless if you cannot do what needs to be done to punish them. I intend to see them punished harshly. So help me. When you are ready. I have questions and the only answers I can trust are yours." He had never been good with words, never the type that could easily reassure or console others during difficult times, but he hoped that this would give the other man some solace. Convince him that, if nothing else, they were on the same side in this.