(Ashka is staring at him with a miserable expression )

He glances over at Ashka, when he can. Tries to make eye contact. 

It's — it still shouldn't be about just avoiding pain, that's still not faith, he isn't sure of very much anymore but that he's firm on. 

Ashka doesn't look less pained.

"Well, you're the human expert."

He doesn't stop looking over at Ashka. 

"...That is one miserable human," Tholassi remarks.

Sataro still doesn't know what's wrong or why. 

"Uh, well, the general theme here seems to be something like 'the only person who matters in the world doesn't like me and he's going through something really hard and I can't help him because I fucked up and I don't know what I did and for a few hours I thought I would have something good in my life and now I will never have anything good again,'" Tholassi reports. "Why are all humans so messed up."

He feels slightly itchy with how much he wants services to be over so he can talk to Ashka. 

Eventually they wrap up.

He catches Ashka on their way out and says, "Can we talk?" 

"Yes."

Then they can go to either Sataro's cell or Ashka's, whichever is closest, and then they're inside and in private Sataro hugs him. 

Ashka's face goes soft and peaceful.

"Great! More human mating rituals!"

He's just going to ignore that. 

"Are you alright?" he says instead. 

"I'm fine."

The 'now' is unstated.

Yes. That makes sense. 

"What was wrong?" he says, puts one hand on the back of Ashka's head, holds him protectively. 

"You kind of got angry and stormed out?"

"...I'm sorry. I wasn't angry and I especially wasn't angry with you." 

"Except now you're talking to me, so. I'm fine."

"I'm still sorry." Maybe they should be sitting down. 

"What... happened?"

"You wanted to stop seeing each other and introduce me to other people, and I'm — not good at people and not good at words and didn't know how to say the thing that was bothering me and still don't, and you kept pushing, and I could tell I was going to start crying or panicking and you had said we couldn't do that again anyway so — I left before that could happen." 

Ashka hugs Sataro and puts his face in Sataro's hair

"--There is nothing I want more than to keep seeing you."