He nodded, smiling at Charles' hand in his own, as always appreciative of that easy way Charles always gave contact and comfort, "I'm alright. Everything still aches, and I can't breathe too deeply without feeling like my chest's in a vise, but it's not as bad as yesterday."

He also wasn't looking forward to finding out just how extensive -or how deep- the bruising was, because he knew with the fall he'd taken he was likely to be all shades of purple and blue and was going to be unsettling at best.

He gave Charles' hand a gentle squeeze in return, "Thank you, for remembering about the meat." It wasn't that he thought Charles wouldn't believe him after that morning's outburst, but it was possible that it would slip his mind when presented with too many options.