[That is absolutely the problem, and his expression visibly simmers. He feels so, so bad for Taako right now. He wishes his friend could just take him at face value, but Taako is convinced he's clawed his way to where he is alone, suffering the whole way, the whole time. Some of that is true. Some of that... isn't.]

Maybe not. [His voice is calm, quiet, even. It's not a tone he uses often.] Maybe not, but you have me and Merle, and we're not leaving you for anything.

[He clears his throat after that and gives Taako some space. He's similarly restless, arms folded, as he leans against the nearest counter.]

Let me back up on that, 'cause I don't actually know how you guys found the second voidfish. I told Fisher-- uh, I told the Voidfish I'd find its baby, and then I had to fight my way out of the Fantasy Costco in my real body, and then I tracked you guys down to one of the other buildings. Lucretia was standing there talking to you about the history we forgot and Barry slipped me some juice, and then we started to remember.

Lucretia had it, that's what I know. It was part of her plan to... try to 'fix' what we'd done.

[He lets out a big breath all at once. He knows Taako isn't going to be happy to have that confirmed, but he wasn't happy back then either.]

This is the part where I'm not sure how much you'll remember. If I explain this really badly, you won't get anything out of it but static. And if I explain it in a way that makes you want to remember, then you'll hurt yourself like I did. It's just-- it's shitty. This whole situation is shitty, and I won't deny Lucretia basically put us there and what she did was fucking awful-- but she's not the enemy.

She's not the reason the world was ending.