[ He pats her arm lightly in apology. He should have thought about her comfort more when he had asked her to join him this evening. It was trying even for him and he had been on planet for years nows. She was still new.

With that decided, he begins to lead her out. It should be easy enough to commandeer a vehicle to take them back to his--their?--flat. ]

We'll leave them to gossip to the winds. Without their easy targets around, they'll find themselves growing bored quickly. [ A dry joke. He's not oblivious to the comments and whisperings. A younger him would have started a fight over it far earlier in the evening. ]