They began making their way back to the town, Larea slipping back down the hill about half way up. Zel looked back, but thought offering her help might embarrass her, so he stood there, waiting patiently for her to maker her way back up.<br/><br/>As he stood there, he thought a little bit. He was wondering why those words came out instead of some form of consolation. Clearly, for someone like Larea, that would have been a good time to give some form of encouragement. He decided that he really just wanted to forget he'd ever been so close to a naked female, because there was a large chance he'd never get that close again. It was depressing for him to think about so he just wanted to forget about it. In that respect, Zel was a very selfish person.<br/><br/>Honestly, he didn't care about the scars in the slightest. He thought she was still far better off than he was, so it didn't really even cross his mind that she might have been embarrassed about them. At the very least, she could be grateful that the marks weren't all over her body. No, Zel would change disfigurements with her in a heart beat.<br/><br/>Still though, it nagged him and he felt he owed her something for looking at her naked. He might as well say something to her before they dropped the subject completely. "Larea," he said when she had caught up to where he'd been waiting. "I'd rather just let this pass, because I don't want us to have to be awkward with each other. But before we drop it, I want you to know that it's not your fault. It was just an accident and it could have happened to anybody. You don't have to let it keep bugging you."<br/><br/>If she were to look up in his eyes she'd see the same lack of animosity there was when he found out she was mute. There was no disgust, or hatred, if anything there was a hint of encouragement. Like they really could just let it slide and things would turn out just fine. As if saying, 'There was nothing of enough consequence here to get between us. We can move on.'