[Gene accepts the apple with enthusiasm, flashing another grateful-but-shy smile Steve's way before taking a bite. It's the best- okay, second best thing he's tasted in a long time, because the water's the thing he missed and wanted most on Peleliu, but the apple's pretty fantastic, too.
But then Steve asks the question, and his expression clouds over again.]
Yeah. [Pretty rough is the usual, and the distance in his eyes and the weird set of his mouth kind of shows that. But obviously there's been something particularly fucking awful that happened right before it happened, and there's no reason to lie about it.]
A sniper got- [He hears it in Burgie's voice again, remembers the hollowed out, shocked and miserable expression on his friend's face, and he has to swallow thickly before he can keep talking. He's not going to cry - he'd cried already, and it hadn't been for long or anything, but it's just another thing crying about isn't going to fix. Ack Ack probably wouldn't want him shaking and devastated over this, so he's got to keep it together.] We lost our CO. Captain Haldane.
[spam!!]
But then Steve asks the question, and his expression clouds over again.]
Yeah. [Pretty rough is the usual, and the distance in his eyes and the weird set of his mouth kind of shows that. But obviously there's been something particularly fucking awful that happened right before it happened, and there's no reason to lie about it.]
A sniper got- [He hears it in Burgie's voice again, remembers the hollowed out, shocked and miserable expression on his friend's face, and he has to swallow thickly before he can keep talking. He's not going to cry - he'd cried already, and it hadn't been for long or anything, but it's just another thing crying about isn't going to fix. Ack Ack probably wouldn't want him shaking and devastated over this, so he's got to keep it together.] We lost our CO. Captain Haldane.