"I know you promised." But dammit, she had to look out for herself sometimes, too, right. "Whatever you need to do, you need to do. Just . . . be careful, alright? I know you know and you are and all that, but I still have to say it." He huffed out a breath. "People'll need you to come back home, eventually."

He needed that. As selfish as that might be. It sounded better to generalize it to "people".