（ she will feel a sense of pressure, beneath the blue glow. the heat, as he'd mentioned. there is not much actual pain in and of itself, with broken bones the tendency is for the surrounding tissue to hurt rather than the bone itself. his touch is light and firm but there is certainly a sort of gentleness to it that seems studied rather than innate.

(the truth is that he had it once, and put it away to become a man of akatsuki.)

the reassurance, perhaps, has the opposite effect. she is trying to normalize it, and while he does think of his world and his upbringing and his life as normal, he is still one who hopes for peace and for a place where children have no need of knives. he is silent a moment, and then his attention seems to refocus on her, red eyes meeting hers deliberately. ）

Clara-san... I appreciate your tact, but I do not need you to justify or sympathize with my world as it is. I am aware of its flaws.

（ he says that with deliberation, it is clear the words have been chosen with care. he has no desire to offend her, simply to make his stance clear. ）