[It's completely unfair of him to burden her with such a question. But part of him had to ask. Was there an answer he couldn't see that someone else could? Maybe there was something he was missing. But as he should have expected, she'd no more certain than he is. He lifts his hand and gives the younger girl a pat on the head.]

...for a brief time, I was happy.

[He can't deny it more than he can deny that he lives and breathes.]

But finding another such miracle isn't so likely.

[It's a lot of honesty, for someone who usually filters nearly everything he says about himself. In more than one way he's gotten a bit soft here. Several people were responsible for the guard he's let down-- even if right now, it's more that he's too tired to put it back up and recreate that effort at the moment.]

But there's still time to think about these things. We have more pressing matters to get through together first, hmm?