The mission comment makes sense. The only thing that's stopped Esteban from getting bruised up worse than on his first mission was just dumb luck. He can't say he's stayed out of the way of danger himself. And he thinks Allen might be a bit like him on that front? They'd never been on a mission together, though, that he can recall.

He would have just dropped it at that, when Allen mentions overusing his arm, and the red limb, with its odd strong-soft armor moves again under Esteban's curious gaze. It's really odd to him, and his tail rasps against the stone as he curls it back around his other side, and settles the fin on his ankles. There's still a slight, tiny movement through the limb, little flickers of his limb, as Esteban struggles to stay still.

It grows more restless when Allen mentions nearly dying.

"Y' sh'ldn't--" Esteban begins, a protest on his lips before he catches himself. There's a pause, a long nothing as the half-dragon struggles with the words that he wants to say. Allen has lived through a war. It is not a place Esteban can casually step in. But this is still important to him after all.

"Y' sh'ldn't-- give your life for your friends." It's more delicate this time around at least? He thinks? But it still falls flatter than he intended. He takes a deeper breath, before correcting himself. Sort of.

"At least; don't do it for me, okay?" A... compromise, of some sort? He hopes Allen won't ever be put in that same situation again.