There was no way around this, he knew. It was something he should have accepted the second he saw Li in stands, standing next to Altair. He knew exactly how this was going to go, knew that he was going to do exactly as Li told him, and a very small part of him felt relieved that this dynamic, while different, was familiar. Li's voice, hard and forceful, still calmed him. He'd always preferred the heat in his tone to the bland indifference.
He really needed to get away.
"Joining the Guild," he retorted, shrugging off Li's grip. He may have to stay and talk - and, eventually, fight, but he didn't want to think about that, didn't want to remember anything more than he already did - but he didn't have to let Li touch him. Even if he wanted to reach for Li's hand and run his fingers over the mess of scars and burned skin. "What does it matter?"