"I wasn't speaking ill of them, it's just... you can't really connect to them, not really," she hummed in initial response, a little low as she saw Maruki get lost in thought. That's fine, she'll keep an eye out for their surroundings, full aware of the danger inherent to their environment.

The focus stopped when Maruki winced, and she almost immediately and instinctively started stepping closer and reaching a hand out, as if to catch him or stabilize him. He must've sensed something... the more he spoke, the more Hamuko steadily relaxed, though she was clearly sizing him up, making sure he was okay. Some people were as stubborn as cats with how they would hide their pain, and she wasn't about to neglect someone she picked up responsibility for.

"We'll look into the Forest, then. Are you good to keep going? That was a sharp reaction," she commented carefully. "We can fall back if you need more prep time, there's no shame in it."