Ranboo finds themselves at a loss. How do you even begin to respond to that? To unpack the years and years and layers of horror and manipulation that have now solidified into a seemingly impenetrable wall? And, more than that, would it be right to? Their gut instinct is to keep talking, to try and lead Dirk into facing the truth, but would that actually work? Is it even possible? This is... wrong, the way Dirk keeps justifying what happened to him... it's wrong. He should be angry. He deserves to be angry. He deserves to hate those men.

Then again, there are moments, glimpses of recognition of the reality, the horrors that Dirk actually faced beneath his enforced cool. Maybe he already does. Maybe it's much more complicated than Ranboo could ever understand. All at once, he feels like he's just watched a great chasm open up in front of him, revealing a complex reality he had no idea existed before and can't possibly come to grips with now.

No wonder Dirk is so needlessly complicated about... everything.

Ranboo is quiet, but his expression has crumpled, tightened into something deeply troubled. They want to say something, to intervene somehow, but at his core, he can't help feeling distinctly out of place here. He's wandered into something far, far over his own head here.

"Okay," is all they end up saying. The edges are soft and frayed with concern and pain and horror, but he doesn't argue any further.