( the response is oddly reassuring, like a child trying to be brave. he suppresses the smile in his voice, knowing that the warmth might be read as condescension and only make things worse. )

You aren't. But considering the ordeal already endured, allowing you the space to catch your breath and process would have only been fair. A warm meal and perhaps a large brandy certainly wouldn't have hurt matters; after the forest, I daresay we all could have used something to steady our nerves.