[Present Time]
Penny crouched beside the tub, resting her arms over the rim.
"I'm fine," Zoren said from within the tub, offering her a wry smile. "You don't have to worry about me."
She frowned. "You don't look fine to me."
"Just… tired," he breathed out, reaching toward her fingers resting on the rim. "But really… I'm fine."
"Is he alive?" she asked quietly. "Jonathan, I mean."
Zoren didn't answer right away. His thoughts wandered back to the chaos.
After everything went down, he'd rushed Jonathan to the nearest hospital. With multiple stab wounds—some in critical areas—Jonathan had lost a dangerous amount of blood.
"He survived," Zoren nodded. "But he's in critical condition."
"I see…" Penny pressed her lips into a thin line, her eyes heavy with worry. "It's not your fault. And even if it was…"
She trailed off, catching herself before she said something too harsh… or too cruel.
"That's not why I feel this way," Zoren said, his wry smile returning faintly. "It's just…"
