Even the tenderness of her touch couldn't stop him from wincing a little bit when she inspected the wound. That side of his face must have looked a bloody mess, he realised upon seeing her red-stained hands at work.

He had to bite his tongue not to say anything just yet, to let her finish speaking before he let his own emotions run ahead - even if it meant dealing with a string of painful accusations. She felt so small huddled against his side, becoming even more so when she hid her face against his shoulder.

Carefully lifting his less battered arm, he went to wrap it around her. “Mystearica, I've tried. I've tried to reach you so many times I've lost count.”

Would she believe him when he said it, or would she regard him with the same doubt? If those were her real feelings, then he couldn't risk to invalidate them by being careless in his choice of words, but….

“Why would you ever think I could abandon you like this?” Even as he was whispering, for the monsters could still be roaming around, his voice was ringing with disbelief.

"Turn around and flee, after everything we've gone through... Only a fool would cast this away."