"Thanks." The smile still isn't there, but she might be able to hear a glimmer of it in his tune. There's moments where he honestly finds it hard to believe that he'll ever make it home; having someone who knows him inside and out and still believes in him helps more than he can say.

And then she hugs him.

For a moment, he freezes - he heard it coming but still didn't expect it. But-

The next moment, he collapses into it, wrapping his arms around Starr and holding tight. Evidently he needed this a lot more than even he knew. He takes a moment to try to steady himself, opens his mouth to thank her again, and-

"I don't know what to do anymore."

That...was not what he'd meant to say at all, and now that the words are out, he can't stop them. "I mean, I- I do what I can- I do everything I can, I try my hardest, an' I- it doesn't work, or it works but it all gets undone or goes to waste, an' I- I just don't know anymore." He shakes his head. "I need backup, but I don't want any of you near here. Not with things goin' the way they are."