Neal closes his eyes as remorse and sympathy roll over him in a crushing tidal flow. "Fuck."

He looks out the window again, expression bleak and distant. "I... Maybe it will help if I tell him about some of the-- the people I've felt responsible for hurting. For-- if not killing, then... driving them toward death."

A soft exhale. "I think it'll also help that I understand now why the things he said with good intentions cut me in places I didn't know I was trying to protect. That I get why... it hurts people when I assume what I do for my own sake."

He smudges his thumb over the tabletop lightly, smearing a drop of condensation from the tea's steam. "Thank you," Neal says, softly. "For helping me understand that. You're the first person who has."