[these moments of forgetting herself like that are honestly ones viktor tends to enjoy. it is good, he thinks, she can do so when she is so careful otherwise.

and she is ultimately right, there is no blame to throw around here unless it's at the trench and whatever force toys with them. it was largely a good memory, if not a little awkward at places. all in all not a terrible thing to happen, and thankfully not with a stranger.

that is what he's thinking before he registers what she said, a look of surprise crossing his face he can't help. looking back- ah, early on, that was such a typical state of affairs he didn't really register it as an aspect of the memory she saw. such an unpleasant but well tread fact of his life then it leaves him unsure of how to address it for a moment.]

Ah, with the other children. [he glances to the apple slices (still a pull to eat them despite all this, which is something he may register as odd later) before offering,] I simply could not keep up. It is an unfortunate fact of life but I suppose it was just the way of the undercity. Perhaps just the way of children in general.

[a pause and he looks back to admit,] Sometimes the people here surprise me in that way, their generosity.