...I see. [She shuts her eyes.] I apologize, then. And for Fray earlier, I suppose.

[So that's a yes. And yet, she isn't entirely sure how to cement it in place -- it frustrates her, more than a little, but perhaps that's just another instance of him being on the defensive with them, always.

...A taste of her own medicine, if she didn't know any better. Her lips thin out, and she falls quiet for a while, though she doesn't let go of his arm. Now, though, she has to wonder for whose sake she continues to hold on.]

I meant what I said about having respect for that, though. A lot of people would dance around it with reassurances that would just feel empty, in the end, and that's not what I want. I think I'm already better off than I was several years ago, but it's far from sorted out. I still need a better method... but that may take some time.