[Luke only just woke up; Ion wasn't expecting him to jump up off the couch right away. Still, he couldn't help but feel just a little awkward sitting all the way across the room from him. His hand idly plays with the corner of the book in his lap as his gaze falls downward.]

...I did.

[Natalia and Anise had both been sent back within a day of each other; neither he nor Luke had been in much of a position to comfort the other. But now, as much as Ion knew he was going to miss Guy, he knew Luke was suffering more.]

I'm so sorry, Luke. I know... no matter how often it happens, it never seems to get easier whenever someone goes home, does it?