Well.
Theo's embarrassingly valid explanation certainly gave everyone something to think about.
Off to the side, Luca was staring at his guildmate with barely concealed eagerness and pride for pointing out something he would've otherwise completely missed.
And just how spot-on that observation had been!
Unlike someone like Luca Kyros, who'd willingly shoved his hands into Nanite Ore and repeatedly attempted things most sane mechanics wouldn't even consider, or Jackson "Vibes" Taylor, whose relationship with normal survival instincts remained questionable at best, Theo understood the hesitation of ordinary cadets considerably better.
He'd become far more trusting and admittedly more spontaneous after everything he'd experienced with DG, but that didn't mean he'd forgotten what it felt like to look at something unfamiliar and immediately wonder whether attempting it was worth the risk.
And Theo could already see that uncertainty spreading through Battalion 10.
