[ a startled look, or as startled as he's capable of appearing, anyway. ]

Oh, dear-- I certainly didn't mean it to come off that way! Hopeful, perhaps. Wistful, at the least. But depressing...

[ he shakes his head. ] I believe that as long as Tu Vishan remains threatened by... Whatever foe we've been brought here to combat, we won't be venturing very far from it. Not that any of us needed much more motivation than that to fight off this attacker.