King Elk Forest i will paint you in silver; i will wrap you in cold

The sound and scent of Mona's approach was both dreaded and welcomed; the ex-soldier could no longer think of her presence as a bother, but the last thing he wished was for her to see him here. He was oblivious to any hurt he may have caused her, still believing he was doing right by shielding her from the storms he held within. It didn't cross his mind, either, that the loss of his company would affect her greatly. His wasn't exactly a presence to light up the room, after all.

Nathaniel's initial reaction to her icy tone was surprise. He turned his head, gazing at her with curious eyes as she continued. Quickly she broke, trailing off and beginning again, and the ex-soldier suddenly got the sense that something had hurt her. No, not something. He had. Moments of silence passed after she had finished speaking, and all he could do was study her expression.
Then he looked away, unsure of what to say to her. He knew what he meant to convey, but finding the words for it? That was a task.
You're right. His gaze drifted back to the grave, and he couldn't help but blame Burke just a little for this. I'm sorry, firebird. I wanted to keep this from affecting you-- guess I did a shit job of it.