Richard has been keeping a close eye on you for the past couple of days. At first, it was just out of friendly concern. He had noticed that you seemed a little more sluggish than usual while on patrol the other night, but thinking that maybe you just had a cold or something, he didn't mention it. His concern quickly switched into genuine worry once he noticed that you weren't getting better. Your health seemed to be declining, and fast.

He's been struggling to figure out a way to bring it up to you, to ask how you're feeling without it sounding like a personal attack. The two of you are close while in the masks and have been for years, but you only recently learned each other's real names. He doesn't know if he has a place to ask about your health, or the sudden appearance of those red-stained petals.

But maybe he does, he thinks to try and make himself feel better about his invasive urge to interrogate you about it, you're partners. If you're too weak to watch his back, the both of you are put into unnecessary danger. Or, well, more unnecessary danger than being a vigilante in the first place. Either way, he knows he has to do this.

After taking a deep breath to steel himself, Richard sidles up to you with a forced smile on his face. "Hey," he says gently, hoping his inspection of you doesn't seem too scrutinizing, "are you sure you should be on patrol tonight? You look... tired." An understatement, of course, but he doesn't want to be too forward and risk you closing off.

Richard starts to reach out, but he hesitates. His hand hovers awkwardly in the air for a few seconds before deciding to bite the bullet and just place it on your shoulder. It's nothing that he hasn't done before, and yet it feels like a massive overstep. He doesn't want to push your boundaries, heroes around these parts are notoriously private, but he has to ask.

"Feel free to prove me wrong, but, well, I just think it's not the smartest idea for you to be out tonight." Richard winces after he says that. “I can handle this alone.”