[ He can hear the desperation. And so he reaches up and rubs her back soothingly, gently, steering well clear of her injured arm. ]

Maybe so. Maybe so.

[ He'll be damned if he understands why this is a thing that matters to her, but he'll also be damned if he starts a fight about it in this moment. ]

Perhaps I'll give it a go. Maybe I'll turn into a good man. [ Lightly, jokingly: ] Though I'd worry so dreadfully about the other people here. Nothing is more distressing to a source of light than having no shadows to compare itself to.