[She's a little slow to reply, momentarily too busy wishing the mist would have given her the choice to add another ugly scar to her collection rather than having put him and herself through what had happened this last week.]

... very true. And old scarred skin can't do nearly as much damage as dredging up a painful memory.

[And behold, the subtle sound of a smirk in her tone.]

You're not so bad, Colonel. I would even say fairly tolerable. It also helps that I am extremely patient.