[ Amos lets Alex talk. He knows how much the man loves to talk, after all, while Amos himself isn't exactly good with words, at the best of times. Isn't the best with decisions, either, and going to talk to Alex while he was angry was obviously a mistake. Another one.

He's not going to make Alex stew. But the whole thing, it did make him wonder. ]

You know I didn't mean the coward thing? I mean, I did, because you haven't told your wife you're alive, but when we're out there, and rail guns are out, you're not. You're not a coward.

[ Amos bites the very tip of his lips, lips pinched together. He's not actually hungry, his stomach roiling. ]

You've told me before you don't need, or want, protection. I didn't listen again. I'm sorry.