[There's a long pause at that, but eventually...]

Maybe I just think you're the best thing that's happened to me in a long time and it's hard because I want you to be somewhere where you don't have to be scared.

[His eyes stay on her face a moment longer. Somehow it takes her turning red for him to realize just how stupidly sentimental what he just said was. Not that he'd take it back, but he looks away.]

Guess I gotta start thinking about what to tell people then.

[His plan of maybe just reappearing without explaining this whole Cartesio headache is maybe not as solid of a plan if Natalie is coming along...]

We're going back.

[Stated definitively, all traces of awkwardness from before wiped clean.]

Staying here isn't an option I'm accepting.

[Paradoxically the lack of pushback here just winds up being confusing. Keith stares at her like he's waiting for her to say something, but then...]

Glad we're on the same page then.

You gotta do more than hope sometimes.

[Which he knows she knows, but he sighs, brow furrowed as he thinks about this.]

Probably that we got caught up in another Bob-ish incident and got stuck playing this stupid murder game for two months. That'll make sense to them.

[He is perhaps missing the point here.]

Bob's an all powerful entity from my world that we happened to run into while trying to get back to Earth. He made us play some kind of game show and threatened to keep us there forever unless we won the game. Bit of an asshole.

[No understatement there. It's all stated relatively quickly like he just wants to be done thinking about the incident.]

Anyway. What did you mean then?

Same here.

[Just being honest rather than dismissive. Garfle Warfle Snick just uh... never really made all that much sense to Keith either. Next bit almost has him thinking they were better off talking about Bob though. He looks away again, trying to shake off the heightened awareness that they're still holding hands.]

Uh...that your name is Natalie...? [Wait. Better strat.] What do you want me to tell them?

....yeah? I don't want to talk for you.

[He's not even flustered or defensive on this; this is just clearly the most logical plan here??]

I mean... [He glances at her for a second.] ...Okay. You start.

[Okay asking her to start was a mistake. Now he's starting to feel flustered.]

I.... don't know either? I haven't exactly been in a situation like this before.

.... Depends on what the options are?

[The intensity of that startles him a little, though he doesn't flinch or move back.]

Okay. But we're with each other right now...?

[...just give him a moment.]

....What?

[Looking at her with increasing confusion and concern....]

I'm sorry...?