[Ah, that's nice, he could stay here and focus on Viktor's fingers in his hair for a few hours and not have any other thoughts at all, that would be excellent. Instead he simply sits there for a few long beats, before turning his head with a sort of half-hearted puff of a laugh; no, he always appreciates Viktor's bluntness, and he's right. Just give Palamedes more time to sync thought with reality, he'll get there.]

I was thinking about you. [Well-] Us. Don't get me wrong; I didn't want to linger. But I thought, 'Viktor has been standing there for a while,' and that... helped.

[A little bemused, like, is that weird? Does that seem off, in the face of a boat full of murder? Hmm. He shifts to slouch more comfortably against Viktor, head pressed over his heart, reaching across to thread their fingers together and linger on the ring again, a moment.

He sighs.] And I know. But the leaving is... something.