"Well," he began, his voice unsteady, "You fell asleep, and I was going to take you back to your room but he stopped me before we even left. I went into the hallway like he asked, and- and, well, he didn't seem very happy." He frowned. "At first it was only defense, but then I just couldn't stop," he spoke low, keeping his eyes on the ground.
She put the salve off to the side and reached into her pack for some antiseptic for the cuts on his knuckles. "Why couldn't you stop?" she asked quietly, not looking up from her task, her hands working diligently but gently.
Her fingers trembled slightly, but she kept working, seeming to be deliberately not looking him in the eye. She hesitated before asking the next question, unsure if she wanted to hear the answer. "Do you think you're dangerous?"
He was quiet for a long moment, not sure what to say to her. "Yes, I do." He sighed, pausing for a moment. "And I don't know if that means you don't want to speak to me, or associate with me, but..." he trailed off.
She spread the salve onto his other hand, her fingers gently working the mixture into his skin. "But what?"
She bit her lip, her thumb swirling the last bit of the lotion into his hand. She sighed and finally looked up at him. She seemed to be choosing her words very carefully, and her gaze was hesitant. "I... I don't want to distance myself from you," she said, pushing a curl out of her face self-consciously. "But we need to figure this out. You can't just... snap like that." She took a deep breath, and her eyes flickered back to his. "For a moment there, I honestly thought you were going to kill him."
She didn't stand up. She glanced up at him though, her expression troubled. "You can go if you want," she said. "But I want to help you. I'm here if you need me to be. If you don't, that's fine. We don't have to talk anymore, and we can just keep our distance from each other. But it's your choice."
He crossed his arms. "Do you want that?" he asked, genuinely curious. "To break off contact? For me to leave? I just want to know your opinion."
"Of course not," she said, frustration crossing her face. She ran her fingers through her hair trying to figure out the right words. "I already said that I don't want to distance myself from you."
"Then forgive me. I don't think anything like what happened last night will happen again. I had a nice time before that all happened."
Poppy twisted her fingers in her hands. "So did I," she said softly, glancing up at him. "But what makes you think that it won't happen again?"
"Well, it only happened because somebody decided to fight me and I didn't really like the person. Normally, I wouldn't fight back."
She considered him, her head resting on her folded hands. "Okay," she said finally. "Okay. I forgive you."
She stood up, a small smile playing on the corner of her lips. "Right," she said. "You missed me terribly, huh? I can tell."
"Well it's good to see you're back," he said sarcastically, but grinned. "Obviously you missed me as well."
Her arms were crossed over her chest, the only sign that she was still slightly uneasy. She rubbed her shoulder, shrugged, and then smiled up at him. "Hm. I guess you're right."
