Honestly, Terence barely registered how cold and guarded she was. Really, he just chalked it up to her personality. Plus, he figured house prejudice might play a factor, but beyond that, her chosen line of work required thicker skin than most. He knew what it was like dealing with the shadier populations of individuals. It was important to know who you could trust, and who would back stab you the moment you turned around. But it could also be a lonely life as well, if one happened to get in too deep.
"That's an understandable want, Mel," he said easily enough, his gaze following her own to her deathly looking shoes. He wasn't sure what else to say on the subject matter until he chuckled in the slightest bit at her sad attempt at some sort of humor. At least she was trying, and he appreciated that.
But at her question, his expression darkened in just the slightest and he ran a hand over his scruffy face, trying to find words that would answer her question. Words that would make her feel better, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
"I gave up too easily," he admitted with a sad look on his face. "When he said he didn't need me, I listened. But it seems you won't have that problem," reaching up, he brushed a dark strand of hair out of her face, gently brushing his finger across her cheek. "You're a hell of a lot tougher... more persistent than I ever was. You can see that plain as day," he finished, letting his hands fall to his sides.