[It takes him a while to respond because he is following the twists and turns of your mind, reliving your moments as if they were his own. He has spoken to Davis about you, and the two of them have commiserated, compared notes, debated, wondered.

The saddest part is, by the time he is done, he knows that there is no "right" or "wrong" way of answering that question. Distance always helps with perspective, but that doesn't mean that it's the cure-all for every situation. As things stood, it was obvious that this was going much, much deeper than just the matter of Hikaru Shinta turning his eyes towards Joshua LaRue/Joshua Lee Brennan in the first place.]

Did he not already tell you? You were always there for him when he needed you. You and him seem to see each other for what you are. Neither of you have to pretend.

[He settles for a reminder, pushing up what Joshua should already know from the surface of his doubts. Those he can try to deal with later.]