[The tears make his mind up for him- this he remembers well enough. Another man, another loss, and he'd held her through it, hoping to ease her grief. Now he is the cause even though he has returned and that- well. He never thought himself someone worth mourning.]

Don't cry- you know how I feel about lovely women crying.

[Easier to joke, to force a smile as he curls a hand around her wrist and pulls her in, familiarizing himself with how she feels against him, the smell of the forest in her hair, the hitch of her shoulders. This. This was his family. This was someone he held dear to his heart above all else. Someone he protected while trusting with their own protection, someone he trusted with his life and his secrets. That mired him in sentiment.

And he has missed her keenly.]

I missed you as well. I did not know who it was I missed but I felt the loss every day I remained.