[He's glad Rhys understands. It's a pleasant surprise. Well. Everything about his interactions with the humans he's found himself getting fond of have been pleasantly surprising.

As is what Rhys says next.]

...Thank you. I... appreciate you saying that. More than you might think. [Talking with a friend... really is very calming.] I will make sure he doesn't win, of course. No matter how dire the circumstances... and they were dire... the man is hardly invincible.

[It's hard to have hope. He didn't have much in his memory. But that was when he was truly alone. Here, it's different.]

I've proved as much once before. Now it simply has to happen again.