Jesper understands regrets. He has a mile-long list of his own. He's done a whole lot of very questionable things in his short life. So he knows guilt and regret when he sees it. He lifts Mat's hand and kisses his palm, gently, trying to ground him back in the here and now and not the memory. "I believe you."

If he's learned anything about Wheels, it's that they're all high-spirited fun-loving people with a lot of baggage. So Mat's friends are between the gates and he didn't go? He thinks. Did he leave them to die? That would be pretty rough. That's how far dark Jesper's mind goes.

"What happened?"