"It's true."

He's been tending to the garden in his spare time. Which he has in abundance, as of late.

Harvesting food for the winter months made him feel good... the earth on his hands, the ache in his back, the sweat on his brow. To help others.

"Damn, I ain't stretched like that in a good while."

DAMN THAT HURTS

as opposed to what? Thick hearing?

Well I got a guy running at me with a spear so think I'll put a raincheck on it.

...don't think I'd look good with em

You can do that?

The hell happened to your ears?

[grumbling]

😭

I'm so glad I didn't get phantom pain.

Wow

He's scurrying out from the lab to figure out what's going on.

Finding a balance.

We need all folks.

I tend to not talk a lot. Gives me time to think a lot. People that flap their mouths a lot often don't have a lot of substance to anything they say. Their words are common. So to balance it out, I try and think before I speak. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't.

I think most are.

Are you afraid of expectations?

I thought we weren't flirtin'?

Deal. Right pretty sky.

Awful. Been thinking about it a lot. I don't think I ever got to tell her how bad I felt. How much I questioned myself and how much I realized I hurt my sister when she realized what I'd done. I turned over a new leaf. I want to be a different man. But words are cheap, and actions are the best

The space man has a medical center. He reattached my arm.

Her name was Cara. I was gonna kill her. [He spoke with a flat tone, like he was telling the weather.] She cut off my arm when that didn't work out. Grew back when I came back. Things happen. People can be capable of some real hideous things.

I tortured a woman for fun. And on orders.

Carefully trimming his well-cared-for beard.

Oh.

Considering what I did...

They'd say the same about me.

Oh.

Or flirted.

I've never dated before so I'm lost too.

Well. That makes two of us.

Are you good at thinking?

I am pretending to threaten you because I enjoy your company and wouldn't mind if you were constantly nearby.

You best stay by my side if you know what's good for you. [Said with a gentle smile.]

A little disconcerting to see a missile flying up and out of the settlement every so often.

Hope is the fuel that guides action. I got a second chance, and I ain't keen on wastin' it.

And I was a fool for following them. Piss poor reasons. Blinded by obedience. No more.

Orders were reasons.

He usually had a reason.

Take the time to observe. And I got punched a lot. Life gives us many things. It's up to us to take the lessons as they come.

Yeah. You only get so many. Seems only a fool would waste one.

[That made him smile.] Been tryin' to be more kind since I came back. Don't wanna waste a second chance, after all.

I do. My sister boxes, and I figure if she ever gets in trouble and needs backup, I need to be strong enough to help out.

Right.

[Trevor was all brawn. Built like he was custom-ordered to fight bears, he stomped up the hillside and set Arlo down beside him.] Nice sunset.

Bullshit.

I'm insistin'. [And he swooped Arlo up without much difficulty, and made off for the nearest hill.]