Raine shook her head once more, a diagonal sort of a motion, not outright contradiction but rather frustration. "I never denied that I had been. Yes, I care very much for him. At least I am conscious of it."

She sighed then, and leaned on her staff, giving her weight to it in a conscious gesture to indicate she was by no means preparing for hostility. "As to -- blowing this out of proportion -- perhaps." That was all the concession she would allow aloud. She had reacted more strongly than perhaps objectively merited, even despite her initial tempering. "However, not two minutes ago you were talking as though it was a foregone conclusion. I believe you do not have all the relevant information, and your summary is in near-direct contradiction with my own personal experience." Her tone was still cool, but quieter now, since she'd established they were on more or less the same page, and what remained was a matter of personal conflict.

"And, simply for the sake of clarity: I know something of that weight, and if necessary would rather carry it myself, than pass the burden to another."