(Oh snap!

)
The gentleness in which Zachariah tried to let him down easy didn't offer much comfort to him. He'd half expected Zachariah to damn him to oblivion and simply leave, but that wasn't like the man and Gale knew better. His delusions on how this was supposed to happen in this confrontation weren't at all accurate, but it had served to scare him into keeping quiet until now. Now he was in a panic, terrified that he wouldn't even be able to look at his friend without someone thinking it was laden with double meaning. The tight feeling in his chest only grew, and his shoulders slowly dropped; he looked more like the small-time burglar that Zach had first encountered rather than the master thief he was today. Someone who barely knew what was going on but found themselves in quite a mess? Sounded rather a lot like himself right now. He let out a saddened chuckle; hushed, and with an undertone of pain. He might take his leave for a few days after this; to say he was disappointed would be an understatement.
"W-why are you apologizing?" He whispered, "I've gone and made things needlessly complicated." Gale buried his face in both hands briefly, wiping the wetness from his cheeks.
"Nocturnal's grace, I'm the one who--" He saw Zachariah start to sway, a minute movement, but he looked up with a startled expression, concern and sadness mixing until the former won out. "Z-Zach...?" He questioned, seeing the man teeter for a moment, before collapsing with a awfully loud thud, making him wince. That must've hurt! Was it a dart dipped with sleeping agent? Or had someone slipped something into Zachariah's mead back at the tavern? Gale dove to Zachariah's side, panicked, feeling for a pulse.
"Zachariah!" He said, shaking him insistently, one hand behind his head, trying to support it. He received no answer.
No. No, was he hurt?! Please, don't let him be hurt!
"Delvin!" Gale cried at the door, distraught, and the guild member barged in.
"What in the name of..." Delvin sputtered, looking over the scene with a confused squint.
"Help me!" Gale said rather impatiently, and the thief helped him transport Zachariah to his private quarters, clearly wanting to ask questions but smart enough not to pry. "I...I have to find the listener." Gale said, trying to compose himself, but worry still in his voice as he looked over Zachariah.