He's not completely shocked that girls would do that. It sounds just like teenagers actually - to be that petty and cruel. But God, to hurt Skip like that... to, he's assuming here, destroy a girls career like that...

Ambition is ugly, he supposes, but she must have been devastated. It's like looking at her with a whole new light. He's seeing parts of her he never knew about before and it's two parts thrilling and one part terrifying that she could hide this so well.

"Fuck."

Is all he can say as he looks back at the painting, seeing a deeper story now.

"I'm sorry."

Weak. So weak. And this close to the full moon he can feel the instinct to try and retroactively protect her surge up in him, but the logic that this wasn't something he could fix or heal was enough to keep him at bay. If Skip cared to listen, she might here a slight whine on his exhale.