After Cecilia's departure, Liam, Melissa, and Joel followed suit, crossing the snowy and barren plain to reenter the leafless forest to head back to the Pale Moon Sect.
Needless to say, that return was silent. Much had happened underground, and Liam and Melissa's appearance vouched for what they had gone through. They had to be tired, and Joel didn't want to bother them with conversations after they had done him such a huge favor.
Yet, the sight of Melissa clinging tightly to Liam's back kept claiming Joel's gaze, and he couldn't just stay silent when he knew that Liam didn't understand social repercussions.
After all, Joel had just declared himself Liam's friend, and educating him on those social environments was something a friend should do, especially when he had seen how incompetent he was at those.
"Junior Brother, forgive this personal question," Joel eventually probed. "You haven't spent much time around people growing up, have you?"
