"That part could be a lot worse." It was true - at the start of her Pilgrimage, she'd been truly alone - no crew, no friends, no one who'd even look at her without seeing a thief.

"And I shouldn't have thrown it back at you," she mumbled. "I should have helped." She shook her head almost before she was done. If she was going to wallow in guilt - and she would, she could at least do that privately.

"OK, though. You don't have to... OK." It was the 'please' that did it - not just the mere word, but the sound of his voice in that moment twinged within her painfully. She didn't want to think of him dealing with this - with anything - by himself, but there wasn't anything else she could do. Sit off to the side, and if this killed him... At that thought, she pressed her knuckles into her eyes as if trying to forcibly shove the thought away.