the ongoing speculation

In that case, I make happy sounds again! :D

Though he had known this day was coming, Mordecai had hoped it would have come at a later date. Of all things, the momentary pang of having to say goodbye to someone was not something he was unfamiliar with. He had been in Dijax's position before, though the circumstances and reasoning for moving on were far different. In that sense, he really could not have faulted the Russian for wanting to move on, and did not know him well enough to even attempt to persuade him otherwise. That opportunity, for whatever reason, felt squandered beneath all that had occurred since.

“I understand,” he said after a momentary pause. “I can accompany you to the borders if you'd like.” It was a small gesture of goodwill in seeing him off, a last change opportunity to converse with someone he had not gotten to know as well as he felt he should have.