Over the years Rene had gotten a surprising amount of practice at controlling his emotions. Drill sergeants and officers had tried to provoke him, comrades had mocked him out of hate for his birth and those members of his family which still spoke to him had cursed him. None of it really affected him. Despite that he felt his face heat slightly with embarrassment. Not so much for himself, though by the Throne the AI’s accurate reading of his reaction to Solae WAS embarrassing, but because Solae herself was so clearly humiliated. He paused and cast his eyes skyward as though seeking an observer on high.

“Yeah ok, starting to think naked marble statue wasn’t the first red flag with this guy,” he quipped. Solae laughed inspite of herself and he felt some of his own tension fade as he crossed the room to take a sat beside her.

“I’m ok,” he told her, returning to her original question. There was a faint nutty odor rising from whatever it was Solae had been preparing though he couldn’t imagine what it could be. There was a distinct growl from his stomach. Some vestige of courtly etiquette made it h ard for him to start eating before a lady, though the marine indoctrination screamed at him to eat while he had the chance. Instead he pulled an antiseptic spray from the opened medical kit.

“Well for rather skewed values of ok. It just looks bad because I’ve been shot, and I got blown off an antennae, and a wall fell on me…”  the sentence trailed off as he triggered the spray and the cold bitter vapor burned across the line the bullet had drawn. He sucked in a breath but forced himself to make a second pass. Once that was done he picked up a second aresol sprayer loaded with synthetic skin intened for burns and blisters. The pinkis synthetic was incongrously bright against his tanned and bruised chest. Though he was in pain he didn’t dare take any analgesics, he couldn’t afford to dull his reflexes.

“There, good as new,” he lied and slipped the shirt on though he didn’t try to button it. He looked at her, trying to inventory her scrapes and scratches rather than focusing on her beauty.

"What about you?"