The reassurance is wholly unexpected, and he looks genuinely surprised- and touched. "Oh, goodness, that sounds like the sort of thing I should be saying. This is hardly the first crisis I've managed to survive. But I have a quest to complete, and..." He gives a tired, sad little laugh, "I can't die here, I have to get back home to feed my cats."

They have a while yet, thanks to planning, before their food runs out, but it won't last forever.