[When Vil lays it out for him like that, reassures him that he's not wrong to be feeling stressed, Cater feels an immense surge of gratitude. He leans back in his chair and gives Vil a tired smile--nothing like one he might put on for show.]

You have no idea how much I needed to hear that. Actually, I had no idea how much I needed to hear that.

[He really had tried to approach the aftermath of that night with as much grace as he could--had figured Idia would have simply moved on from it, pretended it never happened. Maybe he'd been wrong about that, but it was difficult to know just what was the best course of action when Idia barely left his room and emotions were so elevated.]

Thanks, Vil. I really mean it--if you weren't here, I don't know what I'd do, and not just about this.