It was because he was confronting his mortality, then, which made her feel a bit better about exposing herself. He hadn't wanted to be alone, that was what his letter said. She had little experience in the realm of emotional attachment (save for the select two), but she was intimately familiar with finding distractions in other people. If anything, she was the reigning queen.

However, the issue of Zelda's involvement remained. Jo knew nothing for sure, for all she knew she was imagining things. But, Jo couldn't quite shake the way Zelda exclaimed 'Darrow?' There was something there, and it was enough to give Jo pause.

For a minute.

If something was shared between Zelda and he, why wasn't she here? Why had Alfred written her and not Zelda? Surely, if he had a better option than some random woman he'd known for just over a month he would've chosen it. Jo knew if the situation were reversed Alfred wouldn't have been her top choice for company. She was attracted to him, sure, and she deeply enjoyed spending time with him, but he wasn't the first and last person she thought of. Not even close. If Zelda mattered that much to him, he would've chosen her.

"Vaguely. I remember hating as the ones on my ribs were put in place." It was the brightest of her foggy memories, and even that was more of a physical memory than a mental one. Jo shifted towards him on the bed and moved her hair to the side so he would better be able to see the vine swirling around her shoulder and into her corset. The topmost petals of one of her favorite flowers could be seen peeking out from the right angle. "I wish I knew why I decided to get them. It's so strange not knowing."