I think I can manage being collateral damage
"Maybe," Ever said quietly, not outright disagreeing. His voice was mild, not chiding—more like a small, automatic correction, the kind he would have once rattled off in a lecture hall. "Diurnal animals are active during the day, so it would make sense we might tart to see them. Crepuscular means active at dawn and dusk, so likely they'd have already tucked themselves back away." His thumb pressed twice against the seam of his trousers, steadying himself with the familiar ritual of explanation.
When Mateo asked how he was feeling, Ever turned his gaze momentarily to the path ahead, as if the answer might be written there. "I’m… operational," he said at last. "I can keep going. If you still can." His hand shifted slightly, hovering awkwardly at his side before he folded it neatly back against his ribs.
There was a pause—small, but deliberate—before he continued, thumb resuming its familiar tap-tap against the hem of his sleeve. "Is this… sufficient? For your quest, I mean," he asked, tilting his head a fraction without lifting his gaze. "Or would walking accomplish the same thing? You don't have to jeopardize your cardiovascular system for the sake of technicalities." There was also the question of how they were actually meant to measure the success of their efforts, but that could wait until they'd established the experiment was actually set up properly.
When Mateo asked how he was feeling, Ever turned his gaze momentarily to the path ahead, as if the answer might be written there. "I’m… operational," he said at last. "I can keep going. If you still can." His hand shifted slightly, hovering awkwardly at his side before he folded it neatly back against his ribs.
There was a pause—small, but deliberate—before he continued, thumb resuming its familiar tap-tap against the hem of his sleeve. "Is this… sufficient? For your quest, I mean," he asked, tilting his head a fraction without lifting his gaze. "Or would walking accomplish the same thing? You don't have to jeopardize your cardiovascular system for the sake of technicalities." There was also the question of how they were actually meant to measure the success of their efforts, but that could wait until they'd established the experiment was actually set up properly.
Even if I had to lose you to know you I'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
