Barcus is often awkward and standoffish with people he doesn't know well, but he can be surprisingly tender-hearted with friends. At the moment, he wishes they could turn around and pretend this didn't happen, if only for Maedhros' sake. It weighs heavier on him, the gnome thinks, because he's used to be capable of stopping this sort of thing from happening. Barcus is willing to blame himself for not noticing something wrong with the boy, or turning up anything useful from his testing of samples, but he also assumes if he had, all he would have been able to do about it was warn people.

Maybe strength is a double-edged sword sometimes. The gnome squeezes his friend's arm, leans against him for a moment as if to reassure, then lets go with a sharp, somber nod. "We'll talk later."

Assuming they survive this, that is, but saying so won't help calm either of them down. "Should I scout ahead? I'm less likely to be noticed," as usual, "but I'm not sure I fancy meeting a...a rabid farmer on my own, either."