[He gives a short laugh, wrapping the scarf around his arm now. It's not bleeding super bad anymore, despite how nasty the wound is, but it will need to be tended to later.]

It's more that ... [He trails off a moment, wondering again just how much he should say. ugh, he's already spilled his guts to this guy already, what's the rest going to do? Hongo would probably reprimand him for this, but Hongo isn't here.] When you've gone as long as I have without feeling pain, only for this place to somehow turn all your pain sensors back on, and then afflict you with some kind of honesty curse that makes it about a hundred times worse, you start making some compromises.

[Sometimes you do what you have to.]