[ Poe didn't follow immediately, putting his hands in his pockets and frowning at Akobi's back, trying to get a read on the man. But he caught up pretty quickly. A weirdly defensive feeling clutched his chest. ]

... Look, I knew that before you even got here. [ His tone was a little blunt. ] I told you about what happened because I promised him the truth, and that means by extension you get it, too. He would have told you eventually. But that was months ago. He's basically one of my best friends, now. I care about him a lot. You don't need to give me the shovel talk.