[Mallory hasn't seen the newer scars on his back, but he's familiar enough with the entry points on his front side to tell exactly what Luna's fingers trace over. He never did tell him about his ill-fated encounter with Kizakura... And there's no reason to, frankly. All that came out of that false promise of an exit was humiliation and pain. A loss of control.

(A lead to the controls. He mustn't forget that.)

But he knows full well which wound Luna did witness, to put it lightly, and he puts his hand over the mark just below his chest. He wasn't the only one who lost control.]

Nn... Nothing major. You missed my spine, at least. [Might as well have plunged his sword right into his heart for the pain it caused him, though. Even now, there's a sharp heat in his chest, and it's not the kind Luna's company usually brings him.]

Quit worrying about what happened, already. You're not the kinda guy who regrets the past. You keep on fighting for the future.

[No matter what he has to do. If anything, Mal can't stop regretting that even for a second that future had no place for him. His head slumps forward a little and he breathes deeply, the hot, humid air thick with the scent of freshly-bloomed flowers from somewhere.]

That's what I... really respect. About you.