She considers that for a moment, holding her beer halfway to her mouth, and then she gives a huff, something caught between amusement and bitterness.

"Well, I guess I'm flattered that you're checking up on us because you care, not because you're looking for a way out," Tess replies. Another pause. "Thanks."

Not that it does much to prevent a loss, but in a world where even winning comes at some kind of price, you learn to take the losses in stride. Otherwise, you'd just end up burning out hard.

And then, a whole lot less amused:

"I'm not sure why I expected things to turn out differently this time."