[He recognises the sentiment. He hears the echo of it in Loki's words on the last mission. He thinks of his empty hands and that day on the moon, of Mjolnir who had turned her back on him. Even now, there is a fear in him that he'll never hold her again.

Again, he is awed by the strength that mortals show, facing down these dark fears that bring even gods to their knees.

And this woman... he fought her when she tried to end her life and repaid him when his stubbornness landed him in peril. Here is a shieldmaiden who could teach Asgard's fiercest about what it meant to be a warrior.]

We have fought alongside one another and shared cups alongside one another. We'll neither of us be alone so long as the other is here. [While he doesn't know of any significance to her robe, he has no missed she's come here on two legs rather than four. That's something he's avoiding reading into. Their first meeting had shown her very sensitive to some matters.]