He blinked at Gai a few times, staggered, and not for the first time, by the man's protective insistence. It really did come off that way to him when this happened too. Protective, determined. It was one of the reasons that Gai was a close friend, now, even if when they'd been kids he couldn't wrap his mind around the loudness having substance.

He would readily admit that before the mission that redirected his life, he'd been a bit of an oblivious little punk.

So that's why he just gave Gai a wry smile and reached up to pat the hand on his shoulder. "Like I said. The list of possibilities isn't all that long. But hey, I'm okay. I'm not exactly young, but I'm not old yet either."