Oh. Mario - doesn't understand at all, really, because he cannot imagine the same. Of course he would rather Luigi was alive. But better brainwashed, working with the villains, than lost or dead... The thought niggles in the back of his mind, a distant memory, and - Yeah, okay, okay. Maybe he gets it.

He's not going to say anything of the sort, though, because... It's too complicated, it's too much, if he thinks any longer of Luigi like that he will start having a breakdown and he - can't - handle that right now. He shouldn't make this person he's just met deal with it, either.

He holds up his hands towards her, just to ease her, and he smiles.

"No, no, it's okay. I'm alright! You didn't even hit me."

He laughs, face confident. He doesn't even really know what a potion is, anyway, but he takes a guess based on context. And then as he looks up at her, really takes her in - the tail! the ears! - his smile gets a little bit stuck on his face as his eyes go wide.

"This is- sorry- are you a cat?"