we can't make any promises now

Again, Loren flinched, though this time from the words that came from Remi’s mouth. “Don’t. Don’t do that. Don’t...don’t compliment me.” The Launceleyn hugged himself once more, as if to fend off any further kindness. “You don’t remember me. Don’t know who I am. That's what you said, right? So don't pretend you do.” The Attuned had his memories completely stripped away. That meant his comment was either completely made up or secondhand from someone else, and the summoner didn’t want either fabrication. If they were going to be starting over (which he still doubted they could, if only because he would fail somehow), then they couldn’t rely on knowledge from the past, remembered or otherwise. Bringing up Ronin had ruined Remi’s mood, as Loren had known it would. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the easy manner drain from the other man’s face, knowing it was the librarian’s fault. He only opened them when the alchemist spoke. “And I’ve been told the gods are fickle, and not to be relied on.” Not that it had stopped the summoner from going out to pray. However, no one had answered his call, which sort of proved his point: if there was any benevolence in the higher powers, they wouldn’t have cursed Ronin and forced Remi to shoulder the burden, not after all they both had already been through. If anyone deserved divine judgment, it was the Launceleyn. And yet here he stood, relatively unscathed. Still, he regretted his statement. He wasn't trying to make the other man feel worse, only point out that if Remi was going to give help to someone, it shouldn't be Loren. The magic poured out of him, but to no avail. Still, he kept the spell going, perhaps past when he should; it was only when he began to feel lightheaded that he broke it off. However, while Remi’s eyes remained unchanged, the healing magic still sensed something within the alchemist’s body. Unbeknownst to Loren, a trickle of his power slid down to the other man’s palm. The Launceleyn, for his part, dropped his hands and staggered backwards until he hit a nearby wall, which he slumped against. “I’m…” He stopped himself. He’d been about to say he was sorry, but even he knew this couldn’t possibly laid at his feet. However, just because this attempt had failed didn’t mean Loren would stop trying. Maybe his healing wasn’t powerful enough (at least, not yet), but that didn’t mean someone out there didn’t have the skill to restore Remi’s sight to what it should be. LOREN Not quite an open book