[Eridanus deflates with her words, not from disappointment, but perhaps relief. His expression is still kind, even behind the veined opal scars and the maw that claims half of his face in its monstrous cage, it's still the familiar face of her once-father. His hand remains threaded with hers, just as unwilling to let go as she is.]

I'm not hungry, either. [He chuckles, his baritone voice soft with the tenderness of trying not to scare a small animal,] but I want to make sure you are eating, okay?

[Still, her apartment is in disarray, and at the sight of it, something stirs within his chest. Despite his reluctance to let go a moment before, he gives her hand a squeeze before pulling away. He sweeps into the room proper on long legs, setting down the wrapped jacket and bouquet before stooping down to pluck up her bloodied feathers.]

I know that changing back isn't easy, it never is, [he knows the feeling well, having endured it multiple times now. It was hardest on the return from Felfri, where he hadn't been a fraction—but his real, original self,] but you mustn't hurt yourself, alright? You are a precious gem, Riley.