Her eyes were trained on their hands, and for a moment Erika wasn't quite there. There was a memory turning over and over in her mind. It was all flames and clouds of pollen and screams. She raised her eyes back to his, and briefly saw in him a Gloom that just wasn't ready to give up. Reliving that memory, she let go of his hands, reaching up to gently cup his face.

"This is when we get a chance to protect you," she said finally. "It's not something we get to do often."

Erika drew her hands back, setting them down on her knees with a barely audible sigh. "Right now I can only tell you to try and be patient. When you're a bit better... I'd like to take a look at them, if you'd allow me. It'll be easier to see what we can do after that."