The squeeze of Kani's hand pushes the band of his ring into his other fingers, delivering a grounding reminder to Tenna that can't be ignored. But neither can he ignore Kani's pleas, his antennae drooping further with each rambling statement that comes from his mouth. Any plans of trying to wait until he can get ahold of Elnina or Lanino are thoroughly cooked from the first couple of sentences.
His anxious smile twists into a grimace, rubbing his thumb over the back of Makani's hand. "...I don't... know," he admits. It's unfortunately true, much as he wishes he had a better answer for the other. The answer has been warring inside him since the moment he stepped foot out into the TV snow to search for the letter writer.
"Why don't you, uh, go back out into the living room? Have a seat on the couch? Gimme a couple minutes to find those dark candies and some gauze or something." It's not really a suggestion, as Tenna gently herds him out of the bedroom, casting a single glance over his shoulder before shutting the door behind him.
He's not even really sure if he has gauze anywhere, but not knowing affords him a few precious minutes to think things over while he searches, trying to make sense of it in his head. Every time he tries to hang onto his doubt, Kani's crimson blood wells up in his memory again, as bright and vivid as his own suit.
Not that he knows of, anyway.
But he still lacks that distinct glow of a Lightner. He looks.... different. He doesn't remember Tenna.
Except he'd said he felt connected to him, in some way.
The stuff he finds in the bathroom is so ancient he's a little worried it might disintegrate, but it holds up when he unwinds it a little experimentally. From there he can rush back to the kitchen, poking through a couple of cupboards until he finds those candies. He grabs the entire bag and makes his way back over to Kani.
Tenna settles on his knees in front of him, small enough still to be able to comfortably work with Kani's hands, and he takes the injured one and begins to wrap the gauze around it, his bevel furrowed with concentration and concern.
"...I don't know," he repeats, voice small and pained like he's confessing to some kind of sin. The smile he pulls doesn't quite reach, and his laughter has that distinctly nervous tone. He's reminded of how easily Makani pegged him for a liar in one of those letters. "Hahaha... I wish I had a better answer than that. I really do! You'd think I should know, right? I'm the guy who's still holding onto all this stuff after--"
Well, he doesn't need to specify how many damn years. Tenna swallows, gritting his teeth before forcing himself to relax as he continues to wrap Makani's hand.
"But I don't. You, uh, you look an awful lot like... my previous Lightner. But you're... not. You're a Darkner, like me. You... sound like him, and you act like him, and the name you took...." Tenna trails off momentarily. "I don't... know how a Lightner could stop... being a Lightner. But even if they could... you don't... remember me."
