The fact that she did not move ease him, but as soon as her tender and delicate grasp held his wrist, he could feel them nervously shaking, even if it was barely noticeable. And even if it didn't show, he felt the same way. Nervous and confused. He suddenly remember the last few months, which Audric had spent yet again fighting in the frontlines of some proxy conflict that had nothing to do with his own life. But after losing her to somebody else, the man returned to the only "home" he knew to soothe his grief.

—I thought she would realize once she met... That other person.— There it was. He had slipped again. He still felt wounded, but wasn't willing to let it ruin the moment. His left hand then reached over hers' and gently tightened it's grasp, as if trying to appease their tremors. Audric then smiled for her—true and warm—causing the scars on his face to visibly move as well. But he didn't didn't think about them. Not with her.