They were getting louder, even when he turned the volume up on the tv. And with every passing moment he felt what precious little grip he had left on his sanity slipping away. Any minute now he would fall. He had before, but he didn't know if this time he would be able to find his way back. He was desperate for some relief, desperate for someone to pull him back from the precipice.
As though in answer to his thoughts, Lydia chose that moment to join him. The woman he now considered his sister. Who made him as proud as she could infuriate him. Someone he felt as protective of as any of his friends. Even more than most.
To his credit, he managed not to let his surprise show when she sat on the couch, though he had been so lost in his own thoughts and what was happening around him that he didn't notice her until she was right there. That was never very comforting.
"Not really watching it," he replied absently. "Wait, what's the other thing?"