I don't need time to think.

[ That, at least, is something said with absolute certainty as he finally makes his gaze lift back up to lock with Claude's again. While there's still shadows darkening his gaze, it's still steady and even. This is something he knows. His part. What he might want, if he had a choice in things. He's just pretty sure he doesn't. What he wants so rarely holds any weight in the reality of things. Which was why he'd brought this up in the first place. ]

I know what I want. I just don't know if it's possible. And it's not really my decision to make in the first place. [ He knows where he ranks here. Especially now that there's two people's feelings involved, weighing the scale opposite of him. ]

Like I said, this hasn't really changed things for me, not on my end anyway. I'm still right where I was before we had this conversation. What I want hasn't changed. But if it has to... [ He pauses, trailing off, because it just feels like that's borrowing trouble before he needs to. Which, unfortunately, he happens to be great at. ]

I guess it comes down to what Hilda wants then, huh? What she can be comfortable with.