[ They are silent after he says all that, choosing not to react immediately. It's a lot to talk about head on when gems typically keep to themselves about their troubles - gems like Cairngorm in particular. The trip into their heart has left them feeling uncomfortably exposed, and suddenly confused over their own feelings towards the way Ghost had held them responsible for all the things wrong around the both of them. They've always buried it all: there was always Phos to look after, winter work to be done, always something they needed to put their energy towards, so that they've never really done the emotional work required to untangle what they had with Ghost, and how that stemmed out of what they had with Lapis.

The only sounds for a long pause are the soft pats of the brush against their leg, a white plume of the powder following each movement. ]

It was in the past. So many of your lifetimes ago...

[ There's no need to nitpick over the mistakes that were made; there's only the result. They, too, are aware that there's virtually nothing they could have done to prevent said result, and that at the root of it all is Lunarians. The only thing that's left that they feel, then, after what he said, is wanting Ghost to have seen things that way. Cairngorm does what they can to minimize the pang of guilt they feel when they hear "you would never purposefully hurt your partner," shaking their head. Sure, it's nice to feel like he's on their side here, but it's simply easier to shrug the animosity Ghost felt towards them over Lapis off like it was nothing. ]

Even if Ghost felt that way about them not returning, it doesn't matter. Lapis will never come back from the moon, whether or not I have a hand in it.