He would always rush in to fight despair, wouldn't he? That was the sort of person he was. One of the things she liked about him.

"I should have taken him out quicker..." but the argument didn't have much energy behind it, his touch and words working quickly to sap those unpleasant feelings from spiralling around inside her. And when she spoke next, her voice sounded a little lighter; "...Um- is 'welcome back' the right thing to say?"

Something was different, though- but she was so dissociated that she didn't really pick up on it, at first. It was only as she started to ground herself that the little inconsistencies started to click into place. Things that didn't just feel different, things that were different.