"I'm..." A frown formed as Asbel hesitated, trying to figure out how to answer. Honestly, he wasn't too sure himself. It still hurt something awful, but he didn't feel as hopeless or as useless as before.

"I'm hanging in there," he decided at last. Asbel tilted his head slightly as he took in the books she was carrying. So she must be doing research, huh? The library sure seemed popular, although Asbel himself just didn't have the patience to go digging through old volumes. But before all that, there was something else he needed to address.

"Listen... I'm sorry for how I acted before. I shouldn't have yelled at you like I did. You hadn't done anything wrong, but instead, I...took it out on you. Sorry."