[ Shez actually falls silent at that, just for a moment. It's not like he doesn't know the answer, or that he doesn't understand what Byleth means from his first attempt, but-- ]

Something like that, yeah.

[ Something like that, because no matter how rational he's still trying to act about their entire incident, guilt still finds a way of rearing its ugly head every now and then. It will be some time until Shez can confidently say there was no failing on his part, so until then, he would rather not lie about it.

With a sigh, he leans back on the wall, head tipped as he tries to figure out where to start. There was so much on his mind these past few days that it's like he's been treading uncharted territory-- not that a map would be all that useful to him, to begin with. ]

After we left, I remember the kind of impression those mirrors made. Back home, across those multiple versions of Fodlan, and even in this place, I get the feeling that there's always something trying to pit us against each other. I dunno why, or even if it's true at all, but Arval would probably call it destiny.

[ There's a point he wants to make through this exposition, but he can't stop a sheepish smile from tugging at his lips, suddenly all too self-conscious. Figures someone as rational and pragmatic as Byleth is unlikely to believe in the whims of fate, a pathway written in the stars by the Goddess herself... ]

But whatever that is-- [ His head tilts to the side, facing Byleth despite his embarrassment. ] --we have managed to fight it back every time, right?