His eyes flickered briefly at her gasp, realizing what she'd sensed a moment later at her question. How was he supposed to answer it? It was far too complicated to explain, and it really hadn't sunk in yet for him; he was still in something of a state of shock about the entire ordeal. It would all become real later, when he had to eat and sleep and he really had a chance to think about it, but at the moment it still seemed like it was happening to someone else.

The gesture of affection wasn't completely new to him but it was unusual, as he rarely received more than a pat on the shoulder from anyone. Still, it was comforting, and he just gave a small shake of his head at her question instead of an actual answer and curled his fingers just slightly around hers.