[ The look she gives him with those tears still falling makes his heart clench even as it simultaneously doubles his resolve to stay uninvolved. As much as he can for being the cause of it, that is, and Claude waits for her answer. There's a moment or two where he wonders if he'd guessed wrong about asking until she shifts and takes his hand, and then he has to keep from holding onto it more. It's a simple touch but one he's missed so much with an ache it flares to life that lasts longer than the contact does when he lets go after Hilda stands up.

It's not a yes, but it's a precursor to one if he's reading it correctly. That's something he can work with. As it is, he settles for reaching out to hold the wyvern so she can get down the ladder first, and as the wyvern grumbles at him he absently runs his fingers over its scales again in the same motions that'd calmed it earlier. ]

Probably -

[ But Claude cuts himself off, realizing the too honest answer of Sylvain likely making whatever she wants simply for being there sounds a bit too much like a guilting response. Or another card or a ploy rather than teasing, he realizes with the slightest tinge of bitterness, and that's enough to change tactics mid-thought. ]

Well, probably whatever we can convince him to make. [ Now there's a squint up at the sky to calculate what the current time is, more or less, before he shifts the wyvern in his grasp and steps forward to the ladder himself. ] If we're lucky he's still out and we can head through the market to pick up some things to leave out as helpful suggestions. If we're extra lucky, we can find something better for this one to have for dinner than more jerky or whatever Sylvain has around the kitchen since I think he'd have some words about the latter. How's that sound?