[With his eyes closed, Blue resumes brushing Cat's hair with her fingers, taking advantage of his tiredness though not dismissing it from her thoughts. He sounds worn down in places, and she doesn't doubt that he's been through a lot. But there's something in his tone that still doesn't sit right with her.]

It's not like you to sound so defeated.

[Not like this. Not in a way that sounds so final, hung in the heavy trappings of past tense. She knows that he has no interest in going back to his world, but if they were so close, then that begs the question, why not?]

Why does it give me the impression that there is something you're not saying?