“And yet you’re still here,” she smiled, “so you obviously did something right.” She paused for a second, regarding him with narrowed eyes. “What I can’t figure out is what you want to do about it. Do you want to be able to defend yourself in that kind of situation, when it comes up again? Do you even want to be in circumstances where it could be an issue again?”
“Yeah,” he agreed flatly, “I kept my bleedin’ head down.” Fitz spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I’m actually not cleared for field combat. Something about a shaky hand and slippery fingers. I’m good enough to build the guns, unable to properly fire them.” He had a small grin on his face, now. “If it comes up again, I’ve been instructed to run, hide, or die. I know my choice.”
“Whose bright idea was it to put you in the field.” It wasn’t a question. She rubbed at her face, trying to decide if it was worth the headache to keep prying, or just let go. She couldn’t — well, it’s not like he needed help, obviously, but something felt off and she couldn’t put her finger on it. Maybe it wasn’t him. That was possible.
“You can’t be that shaky and be a genius engineer.”