...

[ There's a long pause before Ritsuka squeezes back, harder this time, swallowing hard. For the most part, she thinks she's put behind everything that happened at the Temple behind her -- it's been months! There's still plenty that needs to be done, with two remaining Pillars out there. Who knows where they're hiding? It had been awful at the time, certainly, but she'd made it through.

She's alive. They both are. That's what matters, right? ]

It's fine.

[ It's fine. ]

You came back. That's the part that matters. And...

[ She forces a bit of a laugh, ducking her head and turning it away. ]

I found out, your shield's even heavier than I thought. Even when you were -- [ dead, gone, lost ] -- weren't there, you protected me.