[Liem helps Gray to her feet and makes sure she's steady on them, holding onto her for a moment as she straightens — then, they can set back off through the woods. It's probably for the best if they head back to camp for now, since it would be more risk than it's worth to continue scouting with an injury, especially since they're not under any kind of strict time crunch.

And once they get back, perhaps her cloak can be salvaged. Getting the blood out will be its own struggle, but the tears at least might be magically mended. He could even do it himself, and intends to offer once they've returned, as a preliminary thank-you for her blood.

Though he makes a mental note to keep her in mind the next time he has a chance to do any baking, since she specifically requested it.]

It isn't the same, no.

[Normally Liem is loath to discuss his eating (or drinking) habits with anyone, but if anybody has earned the right to ask questions like that, it's the young woman whose blood he just tasted.]

But it can help a little. I wouldn't drink from the monsters, but I do regular hunting sometimes, while I'm here.

[Part of the reason he'd gotten to such a bad state is that recently, animal blood doesn't seem to help his cravings the way it once did. He doesn't really want to admit that to her, though, since he promised that he wouldn't need her help again. That would be tantamount to admitting that he just planned to drink from other people instead.]

It ah... needs to be fresh from the vein, though.