Ilmenite's thoughts answered, running wild through a still-ringing head, but his tongue was fortunately frozen in his mouth. This gift probably was wasted on him, and he knew it. Neither in uniform nor out had he ever thought of himself as a proper leader, as someone capable of rallying troops and pulling people in line, as someone who inspired loyalty. Neither in uniform nor out had he even thought himself capable of loyalty. He was a butterfly, lighting on one place and another and moving on --
And now he couldn't anymore, and it should have scared the s**t out of him. Maybe it did, a little bit, but he found himself wanting to be reliable, at least a little. Not wanting to flit away. Not yet anyway.
It was a moment before he sucked in a sharp breath, licking dry lips and trying to ignore the raw ache of his throat. He'd had worse, and he'd probably have worse again, and he would certainly still survive it. The energy in his core was likely already mending, putting him right again, and perhaps that was how he drew the strength to offer her a crooked, distracted kind of smile.
"...'s that it?" He was still barely over a whisper, which sapped the cocky edge from his tone. Hopefully Tanzanite would still be able to sense the joke to his words.
