（ local man, wildly guilty of exactly what she's saying she's afraid of, flinches minutely. it's barely notable, mostly in the faint narrowing of his eyes. there and gone like a whisper. when he speaks again, it seems almost like a sidestep into another conversation than a continuation of the one they're having. ）
May I ask what your regret was? The one that brought you here.
（ he won't be offended if she doesn't want to tell him. at any rate, he can surmise — but he would rather hear it from her, genuinely given, than to assume. ）
no subject
May I ask what your regret was? The one that brought you here.
（ he won't be offended if she doesn't want to tell him. at any rate, he can surmise — but he would rather hear it from her, genuinely given, than to assume. ）