[ McGillis slowly takes off some of his layers of clothes and rubs at his hands and face a little, trying to get the blood circulation flowing again. ]

I don't know, truthfully. I've never been the type to talk about my feelings, for better or for worse.

[ What feelings did he have that weren't secrets that can't be whispered to anybody? That wouldn't debase him in the eyes of those who cared about him? ]

I saw my childhood friends. Both of them passed away two years ago. Carta and I... we were distant even before that, but Gaelio... he was my best friend.

[ There is a weirdly hollow quality to his voice as he relates this to Huaisang, like he isn't quite here and there is something more here that nobody else can hope to understand. ]

We used to spend a lot of time in my father's garden. They were both quite unbearable, chasing around a me who was closed off and did not desire company in the slightest...