He found himself briefly held in place by that openness, the rawness of his tone. "Don't...don't worry about it," he said, unable to find words to explain that he got that, got that completely. Agitation, awkwardness, self-loathing--check, check, and check. "You don't have to prove yourself to anyone," he said, a little too intensely, before he could really check himself.
He tried to gather his composure a little, but it was difficult. It pained him to see Dallon look that way, and the very fact that it pained him made him frustrated and it was all a vicious cycle that led down to the simple fact that he shouldn't be letting himself get this involved this quickly in anyone. Friendships were fine, though. Maybe that was all this was. Maybe he could keep telling himself that was how he felt.
"That had to be rough," he said. "You didn't get to go into a peaceful world. I mean, neither did my class--we walked out into the second war, but that was over so much more quickly." He ran a hand through his hair. "And I jumped into it early. Still, you can't compare the two."
He hesitated. "So...what do you mean, it didn't work out so well?" He hoped that wasn't pushing too hard, picking at wounds still too fresh.