César holds her hand tightly, his throat tight. "... Thank you."

He considers. "I'm safe here. And at the tavern. The rest of the horrors, we face together. But Vika's one of us. Violence against her will only make the situation worse. It'll only make her worse. I'd be taking a blade to a frost gun fight and proving she was right about me being a threat to her. I have to find a way to prove her wrong. I have to. It's the only solution that'll stick. The cycle has to end before it can start."

Maybe he wasn't completely done after all, but just needed some support in the moment? Emotions. Why would they be consistent!

He smiles weakly. "... I'm mostly a pacifist, anyway. I always work to minimize harm. And weapons don't do that."