He wanted to laugh but couldn't. It was difficult to believe he was anything but a failure no matter what Kjell felt about the situation. And Ash highly doubted that Kjell was just giving him pretty words - these were his true beliefs. "I just... Wished to do something kind. This was months in planning - even before I arrived on these shores. You cannot just whip up a gallery in a week." And yet, here he was, victimized and - according to the graffiti - creating a pretty distraction.
Ash felt something of his misery soften at the touch of a clawed hand on his shoulder. Without hesitation, he turned his head, pressing his cheek to Kjell's hand. No, he wasn't unsettled but moved. Kjell was trying, wasn't he? He pressed his lips together in a thin line, deciding not to mention how he had never been prone to violence when it came to these sorts of things - but doing what he needed to do did not necessarily mean being the one to strike the blow. It could also mean just getting himself up off the floor and answering questions. Could he do that?
Finally, after a moment of silence, he looked up. Ash was... not looking well. He had yet to feed due to the urgency of the call and had been wasting blood with sobbing only because he couldn't help himself. They had come without him willing it. "If you are there to steady me, I will answer any question I can."