As usual, John seems caught off-guard by that lighthearted touch. He blinks about it, then the tension drops out of him with a fond little smile.

"I suppose so." He stares at Jack's back for a long, lingering moment. Fidgets his hands together. Looks down at them, the human fingers of his right hand tangled up against the dark wood pinky on his left. "The first one was... easier, in a way. It was more shocking, of course, and more distressing for that. But I truly did find a grove where things felt... peaceful. Easier to keep my mind."

He looks again at Jack, tone hesitant. "There was no such shelter, this time."