[Smiling genuinely at her; he shouldn't be so pleased when he's just been shot down, but it's not exactly like romance is his aim here. He'll lament it later anyway.]
And in a place like this, it would be our bonds with our new friends that give us our strength to continue on.
[...And seven years is a long time to be constantly making and losing friends.]
Is it strange to admit that a thought like that worries me?