"Boots. Gotcha." He was mostly sure she was kidding, but then again, given all he's heard from her maybe evil hamsters were a thing.

His eyes reopened on her question, and he was quiet a minute thinking about it. It wasn't easy, revisiting that night, and if it were to happen again he wouldn't have the same motivation to get through it he did before, but that didn't mean he wouldn't fight, that he would just let things unfold.

"Yeah. If I had to."

He let out a chuckle that was less humurous and more trying to shake a shiver of unsettledness that had crossed him.

"I wouldn't want to, mind. God, I hope nothin' like that ever happens again, but it's my job. I'd do whatever I could t'keep my town an' its people safe."