There it is again: Ned's automatic response to the concern of others. It's just that side of a no, an acknowledgement that everything is not alright now, but it's buried in a reassurance that whatever it is that's going on, he'll be able to manage it on his own without help or intervention. Just one of those remnants of being on his own for so long, keeping people at arm's length. He's used to deflecting questions, does it as instinctively as breathing. It's not that he doesn't trust Jesse, specifically; he's simply new to the business of having friends.
Besides, he doesn't know if Jesse knows what Galen's become, or whether Galen wants him to know. Even now, when he's not feeling particularly rosy towards the guy, Ned isn't gonna rat him out.
But even moreso than the last time he used this line on Jesse, it's pretty clear that, while he seems certain of being fine in the future, fine isn't what he is now. Ned is hardly a great deceiver at the best of times, and lack of sleep has stripped away any dissembling ability he might have possessed. He shivers, crosses his arms tightly over his chest, tries (and fails) not to think about why he's hasn't slept for more than a quarter of an hour or so at a time since their little transformations took place. Thinking about it makes him remember it, and remembering it is not conducive to... anything, really.
Then it occurs to him that maybe Jesse asked for a reason. Maybe he wasn't just worried about Ned, but looking for someone to confide in or consult. Who's to say that he didn't have a similar experience? He could be looking for someone to talk to about it. Ned might have a difficult time accepting concern for himself, but he has more than enough for the people around him.
"What about you?" he asks, "Have you... slept alright, these last few days?"
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There it is again: Ned's automatic response to the concern of others. It's just that side of a no, an acknowledgement that everything is not alright now, but it's buried in a reassurance that whatever it is that's going on, he'll be able to manage it on his own without help or intervention. Just one of those remnants of being on his own for so long, keeping people at arm's length. He's used to deflecting questions, does it as instinctively as breathing. It's not that he doesn't trust Jesse, specifically; he's simply new to the business of having friends.
Besides, he doesn't know if Jesse knows what Galen's become, or whether Galen wants him to know. Even now, when he's not feeling particularly rosy towards the guy, Ned isn't gonna rat him out.
But even moreso than the last time he used this line on Jesse, it's pretty clear that, while he seems certain of being fine in the future, fine isn't what he is now. Ned is hardly a great deceiver at the best of times, and lack of sleep has stripped away any dissembling ability he might have possessed. He shivers, crosses his arms tightly over his chest, tries (and fails) not to think about why he's hasn't slept for more than a quarter of an hour or so at a time since their little transformations took place. Thinking about it makes him remember it, and remembering it is not conducive to... anything, really.
Then it occurs to him that maybe Jesse asked for a reason. Maybe he wasn't just worried about Ned, but looking for someone to confide in or consult. Who's to say that he didn't have a similar experience? He could be looking for someone to talk to about it. Ned might have a difficult time accepting concern for himself, but he has more than enough for the people around him.
"What about you?" he asks, "Have you... slept alright, these last few days?"