Neverwinter Forest And it feels like yesterday was a year ago

yall i am so sorry for the wait on this. it can probably be wrapped up in the next round unless yall wanna continue without rosalie and zeph <3

The words don't quite register at first, and he stares for several more moments after Mal finishes speaking. When it finally sinks in, his first thought is of Alessia, who is meant to be dead, and a faint shudder runs through him as he imagines facing her spectre. He never could handle the painfully apparent lack of affection in those blood-red eyes — on the rare occasions she'd been able to look at him for more than a moment.
But the wolf lingering past Mal isn't dark, and her eyes aren't red. This is a different ghost from his past, one he'd thought was long behind him. His gaze flicks between Mal and Rosalie, expression flat, and he finally speaks. I'd like to speak to her alone, please, He looks to Kratos briefly as he says it, then back to Mal. You guys can wait here. He moves past the leader without waiting for an answer, feeling oddly numb and unreal; as if it's all a dream. He beckons with his muzzle for Rosalie to follow, acting with a confidence he doesn't really feel. His only other option is to let Mal and Kratos see how much this moment is breaking him, and he can't do that. Not after the weakness he'd shown with his conflict with Kratos, and then with his injuries and the subsequent infection. He needs to control himself, at least while the others are around, and prove that there is some strength in him.