Her chest clenches as she's suddenly reminded of the lonely little six year old in her living room not so long ago. How had someone like Styxx grown up with such a life that he reflected that even now?

She's speechless as she studies him, all playfulness drained with just a few words. She can't remember the last time she had been met with such raw and honest words. Her gaze falls to his arms, to the names carved so carefully into the skin.

"Well... Losing me won't be an option. I'd say you're pretty stuck with me after that," she tells him, voice hushed and sweet as honey.