That… wasn’t the response he’d been expecting. A snide remark, or a taunt about the crutch that he was now depending on, yes, but an apology? “That’s… good to know. That you don’t normally cut people up, I mean.” The Once-ler noticeably did not respond to the apology itself; he wasn’t about to forgive Lingormr right off the bat. Still, he relaxed slightly.

Picking up his fork and knife, he cut himself a piece of toast. The man didn’t eat it quite yet; he returned his focus to Soma first, and asked, “And waking up with stitches and bandages, is that normal too?”

While waiting for her reply, the Once-ler took a bite of french toast. It wasn’t the best food he’d ever tasted, but a year of the same old canned foods could make anything taste like a gourmet meal. He made no attempt to hide the fact that he was enjoying the food more than would be expected.