Criticism

<snip>
“That’s not…” Jay started, but stopped himself. He could see she was heartbroken. He could tell from the way her shoulders moved that she was silently sobbing.
It was at this point Jay said the thing he would regret most of all.
In fact, it might just have been the most stupid thing he’d ever said in his 641 years of life.
To his credit, he was trying to lighten the mood.
What he said was..
“If it’s any consolation. Pancake’s single…”
</snip>

Wheeling to face him, the shocked expression of confusion and pain that played across her face made him immediately regret his attempt at levity, and for a moment he thought she was going to hit him, but instead she simply rose to her feet and fled away into the undergrowth without another word
“Cass...” Jay called after her, pushing himself up and standing as he watched her go; unsure of whether or not to follow her and run the risk of compounding the hurt by saying or doing something he’d either regret or that would make things even worse
“Aw... shit!” he sighed, passing one of his hands down over his eyes to cover his mouth “I... Shit”
Raising both his arms to run his hands back though his hair in frustration, he turned, self-consciously, to glance back down at everyone else to see whether or not their exchange had gone unnoticed
They were all staring at him
“What?” he demanded
It was Phil who broke the silence first
“Chrysler” he sighed, slowly shaking his head “You stupid smegging twat. What the hell did you do that for?”
Making a hopeless gesture with his hands, Jay shrugged in response and let them fall to his side
“I couldn’t do it” he sighed, turning to glance away in the direction Cass had fled and briefly wondering whether or not she could hear all this, before returning his attention back to the rest of the group
“Do what?” Phil demanded “Not hurt her on her first night of freedom? Not make her want to come home with us? Nice one Jay, that’s impressive work even by your standards!”
“Smegging hell Phil” Jay retorted “What would you have me do!? I’m back together with Katrina now!”
“You’ve not the vaguest idea of the horrors she’s endured” White Wolf rumbled sternly
“And for pity’s sake” Phil grumbled “That Pancake comment...?”
“I was trying to lighten to mood!” Jay protested
“Oh come on!” Jade scowled, her nose wrinkling in distaste “The pervert? That was about as funny as cancer!”
“Were you all listening!?” Jay asked peevishly
“Course we were” Jamie grunted “And while I may well have all the social graces of a train crash after ten years, living on my own here in the jungle, even I’d say that was a little harsh on the girl – You’ve no idea how bad the Haruk are, or what she’s been through!”
“Bollocks” Jay sighed, throwing his hands up in the air and turning to leave “Fine! I’ll go find her and apologise...”
“I think it’s a little past that” Alex snapped, rising to his feet “Stay there, I’ll go”
Jay opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it
“Honestly” Alex grumbled as he pushed his way past him “Six hundred years old and still no idea about how to treat a woman...”

<ooc>Bit of a quickie, we'll be moving on from here in a bit - hope nobody minds me pitching in with responses like that
does anything else happen while this is all going on?</ooc>