Taken by surprise despite himself by the sudden change in disposition, Mantis could only stare for several moments, shock warring with startled pleasure. She wasn't afraid of him. More--she actually seemed to like him, or at least like something he had done. It was such a strange notion, and so unfamiliar.. but painfully, desperately welcome.
"He treads my pathways," he managed through the clutter of voices, focusing on her surprisingly-clear, ordered mind. While it wasn't silent by any means, it was still--quiet. Oddly peaceful. --He didn't even realise he was moving closer to her until his bloodied fingers were against her face. Dismayed with himself, he jerked them back and gave a shuddering sigh. "Concern--? For me?" Laughter echoed, high and thin and disbelieving. It choked off as he lost his concentration, and the skinny figure flinched as a new wave of the city's minds pushed into his head.
"Ah--." He glanced back at her, thoughts swimming, trying to catch them and put them in some kind of order. His eyes, barely visible in the gloom beneath the lenses of the mask, seemed lost and pained. "Always been skinny," he hissed out, and was pleased that it had sounded relatively coherent. "No-- no need to worry."