[Alfred had done his best not to notice the shake in his voice, but with it echoing around the cave like it was, he couldn't help it. But...that was just the echo, he really didn't sound that pathetic, just tired.

With that delusion firmly in place, Alfred finally stepped out of his hiding place.

Seeing Arthur brought more relief to him than panic, though that was in part due to how he refused to look directly at him. Hey, that rock over there was pretty interesting!]

I'm great! Well, you know, as great as anyone can be in a place like this...it's been too long since I've had a good soda! [He's trying his best to keep this normal, to keep everything casual. Especially with how concerned Arthur sounded; it didn't fit him.

Killing people, having your life at risk - Alfred didn't want to talk about any of that. It was heavy enough in the back of his mind without weighing on the front, too.

So here we have two idiots trying to mask their feelings with dubious success.]