"Ah, right; Kelly," Robin said, as if he had just been reminded. "If nothing happened, it was not for lack of trying on her behalf," he added with a grin. But, the grin faded a bit with the final part of Much's response.
He knew that his friend had fallen hard for Eve. At first, he had assumed it was yet another passing fancy of Much's; the man did tend to get taken in by a pretty smile more often than not. But now, nearly two years later in Robin's timeline-- a bit more in Much's,-- Robin was wondering if there had not been more to it than he initially suspected. Much may not bring her up as often anymore, but there was just something in his eyes when they discussed women. Robin was fairly sure he recognized it.
What he thought he was seeing was the same heartache he had felt when they first took to the forest, knowing that the woman he loved was out there, but unable to really pursue her. Granted, he and Marian had had a more complex history, and Eve would be more likely to welcome Much's return, so the situations weren't identical. But, he could relate. And he hurt for Much; he just wanted his friend to be happy.
He hoped that was possible, but acknowledged that it might not be. When Marian had died, he felt that his world had ended, his life along with it. He was still breathing and night still turned to day, but none of it was real, not without her.
And yet... just before being brought here, he had started to think that, perhaps, there was more for him to experience. The air he breathed and the sunlight shining on him was more than just incidental-- it was there for a reason, and so was he. And if he had a future, there were many possibilities that opened up to him; maybe, just possibly, even a wife. Children. He knew he would never love another woman like he loved Marian, but that was not to say that he might not love someone in a different way, might love her enough.
Now that he had Marian back, such thoughts seems traitorous, sacrilegious, and he usually kept them tucked in the recesses of his mind, in a place he only intended to open if he suddenly found himself back where he had come from. And, he was had no idea how to begin to say any of this to Much. Back in the Holy Land, they had bared their souls to one another regularly; but the situation had been so very desperate, constantly teetering on the brink of life and death. In the normal world, he found it impossible to open himself up like that.
"There should be a girl," he said quietly. Glancing up from the bottle he'd been fiddling with, he gave Much a small, sympathetic smile. He desperately wanted to say something teasing, to break out of the serious moment, but part of the goal of this outing was to reconnect. It could never be like it had been on Crusade, but it could be something.
((OOC: Holy long post... it got away from me, sorry. :) No need to be this long-winded!!))