[ Despite remaining oblivious to the origins of her concerns, Ace could still very much sense the apprehension his words had brought into the air between them, and it left him with a sinking feeling in his chest. There had never been a right way to express it without facing disappointment, but this one seemed to be the simplest solution of them all... at one point. Now, he no longer knew, hanging his head, seeming almost defeated for a brief moment before resuming. Even if it was within her right to refuse to look at him, he still owed her a proper delivery of his explanation with his head lifted, and eyes open for any contact. ]

I'm sorry. [ There was no excuse in not having known how badly it would affect her, since he had still acknowledged it wouldn't be a fair game. Especially on a night like this, but he stops himself from uttering another apology in favour of focusing on the obvious question. ]

I spent some time at the laboratory during the looping incident. [ He finishes with a pause sufficiently long to allow the melodist to put things together, in case she already hasn't. ] Not all of the files were locked, and I had heard of Heroes leaving their information in the open for the sake of the clarity.

[ He sighed. ] Once I'd realized it was you, I didn't want to look any further. It's just that....

[ Somehow, it was easier to commit most of what he'd seen to memory knowing who it belonged to. ]

It doesn't feel right.