[ Royce does help, offering a hand to pull Alfie up. Once he is up, Royce gets a good look at him. He really does feel that wear and tear. The horror. Royce takes a deep breath and pulls his cloak closer to him, but - he's not closed off. Not to Alfie. He doesn't complain if their shoulders brush, either, though he's tense as hell. ]
no subject
Better. [ Royce mutters. ]