[Okay, so the first give questions were enough to make him regret whatever came out of his dumb mouth, but Koltira continues talking, and the expression on his face changes to one of abject horror.]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey-

[Frantically, Asher waves his hands in front of his face, in an attempt to stop it. Not just because it is difficult to here, but also because he's getting worried now, as bringing up bad memories may only make Koltira's worry for the mission even worse.]

Okay. Okay!

Maybe we aren't alike. At all.

[Jesus. He rubs the back of his neck with one hand, considering his next few words carefully. For a change.]

But I-

I was worried about you, dude. And this? This is making me extra concerned.

[Shutting his eyes tight, Asher thinks for a moment. This kind of pain, this kind of tragedy, is not something that can be healed or fixed or wished away.]

There are people here who do make you happy though, right?

[don't worry he's going somewhere with this, and it is not the stupid "love fixes everything and erases all problems" mess]