[They didn't notice?  As someone who personally couldn't stand to have no contact with anyone whatsoever, Isabeau's kneejerk reaction is to find that hard to believe.  It takes some effort to chase away that doubt, even while understanding that they all had more important things to think about over the course of their journey.  It's just.  He loves being around other people!  He'd hug a complete stranger if it really seemed like they needed it.  Lessening his contact with others is something he has to teach himself how to do, and the desire for closeness is so ingrained that he even still screws up from time to time, catching himself reaching out and having to quickly retract.

...If that's really how Siffrin felt about it all at the time, then Isabeau thinks he must be pretty lucky to have what he does now.  Can he hug them a little tighter, just out of gratitude?  That should be alright.]

Just... [He picks up where Siffrin trails off, musing over their words. What does it mean to learn about yourself through repetition? And how does that change your growth when the world around you doesn't react at all to those changes? Is it worse than when they react negatively? When it's not rejection, not acceptance, not anything? He feels like... he's only beginning to comprehend how much time Siffrin spent locked away from the people who love them.]

Once you notice something like that, the cat's out of the bag, right? You can't un-notice it. And you start to wonder why, because it feels like everyone made that decision without you.

[He's not... quite talking about just Siffrin's experience, here. Changing is just about the only way he can relate to what that might have been like, even if it's not even close to a one-to-one comparison. He can only guess. He can only try to understand.]

Is it kinda like that?