[He watches her hand tremble, and his eyes drop away.]
...It's not like I'd forgotten what it's like [there's no way he could ever forget what real battle is like; the tension is woven into his muscles' memory, the fear that gets swallowed back by the necessity of the moment is carved into his brain], but I still...wasn't expecting that.
[action]
...It's not like I'd forgotten what it's like [there's no way he could ever forget what real battle is like; the tension is woven into his muscles' memory, the fear that gets swallowed back by the necessity of the moment is carved into his brain], but I still...wasn't expecting that.