Redhawk Caldera love never wanted me.

As soon as the question left his mouth, Elwood started to reconsider. He didn't want Finley to shut him out, but he had done the one thing that could very well guarantee that reaction: ask her flat out if she was alright. He remained rooted to the spot, a few feet from the stream, and watched as she stumbled over her words to provide him with a response. It was more than he had expected from her, and even though her explanation was short and she spoke with finality, his expression softened.

"Oh, Fin..." he murmured, his brow creasing as he watched her hurriedly lean down and lap at the water. Was she really that thirsty, or was she using it as a distraction? It seemed that there was a lot more to the story than what she was willing to divulge, but Elwood wasn't sure if he wanted to push her any further.

Chewing on his lower lip, he hesitated for a few seconds before closing the gap between them with a few long strides. Once he reached her side, he refrained from touching her; he wanted to reach out and embrace her, but it didn't seem right. He didn't want to overstep his bounds, to make her feel uncomfortable when she was already obviously vulnerable. This was not something that Elwood had experience with. He lowered himself to his haunches next to her, tilting his chin down and giving her a sidelong glance. "I'm sorry," he finally uttered, his voice low and barely audible.