"Shula, come on," he started, almost insulted she'd even ask that. But then he realized exactly why she would ask. In her shoes, he probably would have been the same way. Taking a deep breath, he sat down on the bed, something Larentia used to do all the time. Being exactly who he was, he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to comfort her in any meaningful way, but he'd try at least. Or try to copy what he'd seen her try. Propping his sword against the bedframe, he settled his hand on her thigh, giving it a light squeeze. It felt... He didn't want to say it felt right, but it didn't feel wrong. Looking at her, and looking away again, his jaw seemed like a broken hinge, the way his mouth opened and shut without anything worth while coming out.<br/><br/><i>How do I feel about you Shula, </i>he thought to himself, every moment of the past year and a half rippling through his mind. He thought about all the furniture she'd ruined in his apartment, but the soft way he'd catch her smiling at him. Every fight they'd had, the quiet moments they'd shared. How those amber eyes of hers seemed to irritate and calm him at the same time. The undeniable pull to her he felt, one he wondered if it was solely because of the bond. How the kiss she'd given him was hardly the worst thing to happen to him in a long time, how nice it was to wake up next to something warm that wasn't trying to kill him. How it burned inside him whenever someone tried to make a move on her.<br/><br/>His mind flitted back to the night he'd let her into Larentia's room. The first time they'd honestly done something other than butt heads. How relieving but god awfully crushing it was for him to realize that no matter how much trouble he caused or put himself into... That there wasn't going to be that soft reprimand of Larentia's calm and patient voice, the only family he had since they were old enough to remember. Shula wasn't Larentia, not by any stretch of the imagination, but Larentia wasn't Shula either. The bond meant he felt what she felt, the times she'd been scared, mad, happy. Everything seemed to fall into his mind at once. How he wasn't going to be using his apartment again, how the trophies he'd collected would only be collected by the Foundation. The punch to his gut when he realized his only reminders of Larentia had probably already been razed by furious agents trying to find him.<br/><br/>Nothing was going to change the fact that all he had now was Shula. All of the contacts he had on Earth were basically worthless considering he wasn't even on the same damn planet, that any acquaintances he'd made had probably forgotten about him by now. The few things he owned and cherished were either strapped to his back or long demolished. Looking at Shula, into those deep amber eyes, he tried not to lose his voice as he barely managed to whisper the sudden realization, "You're all I have."