"A more positive realist, maybe." Gustave didn't know how much optimism he had in him, especially after everything. Not all of them could be as strong as Sciel. Honestly, he never understood how she did it, and he sometimes wished he had asked.

He was hopeful, but he wasn't sure how much of that was optimism. Really, he just wanted to do right by the people he cared about, and it was enough to help him overcome the stinging, needling thoughts that tried to pull him down.

Flexing the fingers of his prosthetic, Gustave noticed the way she looked at it, and he wondered what happened to it... after...

"Yeah," Gustave replied, sucking in a breath, letting it go with a shaky exhale. "Yeah. All the parts uh, still work." He chuckled. "I'll be fine."