He rests the cape in his lap as he looks at her while she talks, and there's a fresh pang as she shuts her eyes to focus.

He looks back down at the cape, and a damp sniff escapes him.

"Yeah. That's why I came back here, you know?" His voice is a bit thicker now, but steady enough. "I- I wanna help protect my friends. And I'm safe here. So... maybe I can get a deal for them."