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For a moment, Abbas just gave him a look. He shifted his gaze back to the crater in the distance, then back to Hector. "...Are you alright?"

The boy was keeping his armor on for some reason. "Oh, uh, yeah. I'm fine. I was just, er... experimenting with my ability a little and, uh..." He threw a glance back toward the crater, too. "I'm still working out the kinks. You know how it is, I'm sure."

Mm. Indeed he did know. A fair explanation, he supposed.

He decided to let the matter drop. Whatever the truth was, Hector most likely did not wish to appear weak in front of him. That was probably why he wasn't removing his armor. If he'd really been "experimenting," then his clothes might very well be soaked in his own blood, right now. And considering how long he'd taken to shamble out that crater for using his materialization to carry himself closer, he'd probably been trying to buy time for himself to finish regenerating.

Fair enough. Abbas couldn't fault him for caring so much about appearances. Any leader needed to be aware of such things. Abbas and Worwal were not the only ones here, after all. A handful of his family members were waiting by the car and probably saw that little display, too.

"Unfortunately, progress has been slow," said Abbas, turning to go sit back down. Worwal asked him privately to turn the page again, and he did so. "And I suspect it will be for some time."

"I see," said Hector. Garovel phased through his armor as he closed the door behind him. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Thank you for the offer, but I am afraid not."

"Are you sure? Anything at all? I could bring someone here to assist you, if you want. Haqq Najir, maybe?"

"Haqq should remain focused on my armor until its repairs are complete," said Abbas. He eyed the Forge again. "And this... well, let's just leave it at that, shall we?"