"So you had her, like, trying to pick you apart. But instead of physically, she was doing it magically and through pain. Geez, that's rough."

He reached out his hand for hers, the one raking her nails against the floor. It was just a pat-pat. He didn't hold on long. Enough for that person-to-person solidity and intimacy while trying to make it not uncomfortable.

"I'm never gonna get that. People thinking they can treat other people like things, opening them up however which way they think they have a right to, making them vulnerable. That's what it comes down to. Making people feel vulnerable and just...taking that from them. Them feeling safe and having everything closed off inside themselves."

He'd been looking at the floor as he talked but finally looked up at her.