He sees the change in her features, as brief as it may be and guilt rises within his chest. He does not want to push her away, really, he longs to pull her closer instead. But what is it he is pulling her towards? A web of lies and dangers, of powers and control that is lost over and over again. He is a lonely spider tangled in its own sticky strings and the last time someone tried to help untangle him they paid for it with dear life. He won't allow that to happen to Udyati.
"I do not care about their name“, he snaps back, aggression flickering in his eyes. Andy is well aware that the second he lets down his guard her funny jokes and well meant assumptions will become cracks in the wall he so carefully built. And she will be the one to pay for that.
He turns away from her, his hands clasped together and fingers intwined as he leans against the wall, trying so hard to keep his composure while she steps closer, speaks with such softness in her voice. It rings in his ears like pain, this softness, for it reminds him how long it has been since someone came to see him, someone came to hold him or talk to him with more than just anger and the rage of their revolution. Andy is alone, without his family, with only Lorna to keep him warm – and she grows more distant with every day. Udyati is a stark contrast to that loneliness, a reminder of all the things he could have but gave up for the cause. For the movement. For that little bit of meaning.
And it hurts to be near her, to be so aware of what it is missing. "Well, you should not have come“, he repeats himself again, "Every place has its shadows, every heart has its secrets. Someone told me that once. And I am pretty sure your hometown... Well, it is your home, is it not? There must be something good there, something better than hiding yourself from these monsters that hunt us.“ He sighs, one hand moving upward to ruffle through his hair, to feel the brezze that gently toys with his blonde strands. "I am happy to see you, Udyati, I truly am. Please believe that. But this is not a good time to be near me. Nor here in this city at all. Someone with your powers... It is dangerous“