[The answer is one Nishi had already guessed: to follow the one who mattered most into the grave. There's no judgment here, no condemnation. He understands too well. A loss like that hollows a man forever, no matter how many lives he leads in the aftermath of it.

Perhaps it's unfortunate, then, that he does understand. If he didn't, he might try to coax Fandaniel toward something else to live for. But understanding means he can't lie. He knows exactly what it is to wish for the end.

He doesn't flinch when Fandaniel's hand comes near, doesn't pull away when the fingers graze his cheek and rest on the edge of his mask. Whether that's trust or something else, he isn't sure. All he knows is that he won't stop him should he move to remove it. After all, it's easier to speak truth when two men can look one another in the eye, soul to soul, much as they might otherwise be disinclined to.]

You think so? I suspect... there's far more history etched into this mask than I can clearly recall. I felt it was needed... to become the person people expected me to be.

[People need someone to rally behind— a strong figure, unflappable and impervious. If they ever saw what lay beneath, he doubts they would've thought half as highly of him.]