Max nodded in agreement, glancing down at her hands as she fidgeted. "Yeah, you were. I was half prepared not to see you today at all. I wasn't sure you'd make it till morning. That thing really ripped into you."

"I'm sorry," she added, glancing up to meet his gaze. "We should have been quicker. Or put up more of a protest when you wanted to wander off alone. After the scolding you gave me about it, too."