[. . . He's sad.]

[He realizes this too slowly. Usually he's better at recognizing his own emotion and putting a name to it than this. But it's always in situations like this one, when he's too close, that he fails to see what's right in front of him until it's too late.]

[He's sad now, because he misses his Polnareff. His consigliere, who sees him, who knows him. The man before him now is someone he loves very much, but not the same. And maybe that's for the best — it probably is, because his consigliere is a broken, sad, dead man. But still he misses him with all his heart.]

[There are other people he misses in this moment. Kakyoin, who is just down the hall, probably. Mista, who isn't. Dio, which is sort of awful of him, considering, but he does miss Dio, wants to go find him and make sure he's asleep and safe and pet his hair out of his face so it doesn't itch him.]

[He wants to cry, or disappear, or push the issue, or scream. But he just nods instead, and resolves to remain unseen.]

Even so. It matters. If it didn't matter, this conversation wouldn't be happening. Things would be different, very different, with everyone in this house.

Except Bruno, I suppose. He wouldn't think of me any differently either way.