[ The fact of the matter is that he relates to the concept of being tied to someone, having someone be around you and having that presence sometimes be a component of guilt. Iona worries about Oren, that much is obvious: he sees her worry for him in ways that he recognizes to be familial, important.

It makes him sick (not in a bad way, which makes him feel sicker), because he knows that connections are important.

God, he hates relating to people.

After he makes his offer, he turns away so that Iona won't be able to see the way his expression twists just a fraction. She's such a bad influence, why is she making him empathize with people, ugh. ]

...We'll let him rest, then. Auguste, will you be fine on your own on your way back?

[ His brother knits his brows, but ultimately nods. Of course, Gus'd wanted to stick around and explore a bit more, but that would be foolish, even for his standards. ]

Tomorrow, I'll see if I can't find a map of the underground. Something for Oren to look over while he's bedridden.