Another reference to dying, this one so casual that Aoba felt immediately sick. Dying in training exercises... he was able to read into it enough to grasp that resurrection wasn't a one-off thing, then. The Ghosts could bring back the Guardians repeatedly.

It sounded like an incredible advantage in a war until Aoba heard that it was trivialized to the point of space-age Capture the Flag.

The side by side comparison was shockingly disheartening, too. Aoba had assumed, naturally for his experiences, that special recognition came as a rarity. Now it didn't look special at all -- which almost begged the question, why did Declan care that he got more than Mac if it was all just lip-service, anyway?

Standing half behind Declan's chair to observe the screens, Aoba was silent for a time. 'I know who you are,' he considered saying, but dismissed. That wasn't the point. Aoba was a friend but also a nobody, and this wasn't about him, anyway.

Eventually he just reached to the side, putting a hand on Declan's shoulder to offer support that demanded nothing in exchange. A thought was shoved forward from the back corners of his mind.

"... You sure you don't want to come with me?"