[ he nods. he doesn't want to be weird about it or anything, but when he heard that the two of them had contracted, it just seemed like it made sense. he could trust them both to take care of each other, and all the better if they were finding a genuine happiness and stability out of it. ]

I'm glad that it was working out for you two -- sorry she's gone, too.

[ and north. and the rest of them. he sighs, dropping his head, running a hand over his face. ]

I've been alone before. Spent a lot of time thinking I really was all that's left -- turns out that wasn't true. Still isn't true now. [ glancing sidelong at her, with a wry kind of smile. ] Don't go disappearing on me.

[ . . . and he starts to make a joke about how he'll hunt her down for it but, uh. it's still not the most comfortable thing to joke about. so he stops himself. ]