[To be fair, he thinks of Ax as a friend and companion first and an uncle second. He's emotional enough that it hadn't registered. But then she says that -]

<My mother's dead.>

[That's what he's been told. That's what he knows. But he 'knew' his father was either dead or a deadbeat and that hadn't been true either, had it? ... He's going to have to pry the truth out of her later and he hates that he has to. But when they both get emotional they both slam shut. It's a defense mechanism to keep from being hurt. It's understandable, but at the same time it's infuriating to be on the other side of.]

<... I. I can't, I just...>

[Everything in him is telling him to leave, to fly through the window and just... get away for a while. Sure, death is a part of life. He kills to eat. He's seen people die. He's killed before. But it's different when it's someone you care about. And it's really different when the dead person is in front of you, telling you they died.]

<What.... what do you need right now? I want to help you but I don't... I don't know what to do.>