...wow. She really DID still care about him, didn't she? He felt a little ashamed at himself. He'd just assumed she was over the guy if she was looking into something else with another guy - team mate or not. He'd cared a lot for Roselia, but even Roselia had sent him a letter explaining why he had to go. And he'd visited Roselia once or twice but it was never going to work that way. So Knuckles had moped for a few months in private, picked himself up by the bootstraps when he was done and had eventually met Goombella. The idea that he'd still be that conflicted a year later was hard to fathom. Life was about moving forward, even when it hurt. Still, that didn't mean he was unsympathetic.

"Look, I didn't mean to speak out of turn." he said. "I'm sure he was a good guy - I doubt you'da been so into him if he wasn't. But hey, I care about you too! I want to see you happy and doin' OK. That's all."

He placed his hand on her elbow. "Nothing you said sounds silly. I guess I just figure if somethin's gonna make you happy, you should do it for yourself. Not because it's OK for others. If you think Sonny would be alright with it and would want you to be happy, it don't matter if he'd have fought for you or not. He ain't here to do it either way. Maybe he would'a if it came down to it. Heck - my opinion? He'd be crazy not to."