[She reaches then, taking the bottle up and unscrewing the cap. There had been a thought to save the next drink for either when they'd come to an arrangement or she'd made a decision but-- fuck it. She pours herself another glass, rights the bottle and leaves it open and at the ready.]

I don't care if it's something that's only going to screw you up. But if it could hurt the people you're close to, then someone needs to act as a buffer. [Does she have to spell it out for him? She thought he was smarter than that - or maybe that's just the acerbic thing she's telling herself to avoid being upfront with the facts (because the latter feels too much like giving something up and he already has more of that than he deserves).

She takes a swig from the glass; the vodka stings high at the back of her throat, burns when she inhales through her nose - turns the glass slowly in her hand and watches for a moment as the liquid moves along the sides.]

This isn't about you or anything you did. I like Khezek [and Terra was a sweet girl] and if he's gonna get caught up in something, then I want to know about it.