[It was true, and he knew it, even if he wanted to flog himself mentally for the mistakes he'd made along this trail. He'd do the same if it had been reversed... and now doubly so, when he knows just how painful it is to be in his shoes.

... Right. He'd practically begged her once, to not help him. To not fix him, if it meant the safety of the crew; the memory feels like it'd been so long ago.

"Isn't there an honorable kind of rule where you respect the wishes of someone in a coma or dying or dead? That's my wish, okay. Don't do anything that'll hurt you or anyone else in the process. I'm pinning a 'Do Not Resuscitate' to my jacket if it gets the memo across."

He breathes out.]

... When I asked for that promise... Yeah.

That wasn't long before the night I realized they were there. I think deep down, I knew... and once it was confirmed, I'd tried to stop them. I really did, but... [He shakes his head.] The person asking you to learn your magic after that... it wasn't me.