Only five months ago. The wounds weren't so old and that's why she didn't quite say what 'was' meant. Marcus was gone, but he still could be alive. He was well trained, he knew the location his squadron was at. Was for Thomas 'the Bear' Janeckzo was buried in the ground.
"I don't think he planned to hunt the bear, it was rather him versus the bear. I'm pretty sure he never wanted to hurt one, he loved nature too much and they were ... he just liked them." The smile quivers a bit. Vesper doesn't care how raw the emotion on her sleeve is. Better to lose it here with a kindly stranger than back in town where someone could potentially use the raw emotion to their advantage. "I've caught deer, in fact last October I got a few. I mean, messy as anything, but I'm getting better."