The way Matthias looks away isn't exact, but it's familiar. He wants to enjoy this, but something's getting in the way. She doesn't know much about it, but she's be an idiot to think he's had it any kind of easy.

She can read into enough of what he said at the meeting to piece a little bit of it together.

"I dunno if I can teach you about not doing any of that shit," she says, in full honesty. Sam's voice rings in the back of her mind, an uncomfortable twinge of grief.

How is that you're never scared?

"Especially in being underestimated." Ellie pauses, drags her tongue along her bottom lip. "I started... all this." She gestures at herself, at her weapons. "As a kid." She catches her lip in her teeth, gathers her thoughts.

Matthias did too. Maybe even younger than her.

"I guess somewhere along the way, I started using that. It gets people to drop their guard, you know?"