[ She should look at him, especially once he starts talking, but her courage fails her yet again, and she fiddles with her teacup rather than drinking any of it.

It's both comforting and extremely awful to hear that he's gone through something. Comforting, because it means he'll maybe understand, but awful because....because it's not something anyone should have to ever experience in their lives.

Silence falls again once Siegfried finishes, Annette once again searching for how best to word the jumble of emotions in her head. Funny, to be struggling so much when words had always tumbled straight out of her mouth before. ]

How could I not regret it? [ Her voice is slow and quiet, though the more she talks the louder it grows. ] I didn't—I didn't want to kill anyone! I know we had to, that it was either kill them or watch one of my friends die but—

[ She looks away, eyes too bright. ]

Some of them on the other side were my friends too, once.