Desmond warily let her lean on him, still honestly waiting for some kind of aggression. He was fine with it if it happened, he just wasn't so sure. "You can be alone and still nearby them. You can't be out here alone. It's dangerous. There's a whole lot of wild animals that don't come to the village but probably live out here." That shrine was also creepy as fuck and he wanted to get away from it.

He held still so she could touch if she wanted, keeping calm and passive to her whims as if she was a wild creature abut to bolt on him. "It's fine, Luce. I shouldn't have thrown that at you with everything going on." He wanted little more than to hold her, bury his face into his neck, find a way to feel better. "Please. For me, please, we have to go back. There's nothing out here for any of us."