He felt relieved at that, and dirty for it. Yes, okay, he could be happy that it wasn't anything to do with Angie or Selah, but the full explanation didn't negate any of the terribleness. It only kept some of his friends out of it. "I didn't know. I'm sorry I wasn't here."

Because maybe it would go down better than the automatic response of "I'm sorry [for you]". It had the benefit of being true - he's sorry his friends had to deal with that without him.

Robbie was pleased when he didn't react to the "tainted brand" reminder. He'd huffed a laugh and given Vance a half-smile at where the Avengers could stick it, and he hadn't faltered at the rest. "Sounds about right, and... I volunteer Sam to help you test out your powers and make sure they're back up to snuff."