I… don’t know. When things get that bad, it… it feels like nobody will ever understand. I… didn’t want anyone to see me for how weak I really was on the inside, so I pushed it all down until I just… couldn’t anymore.

[ She reaches down to take Illya’s hand in her own and squeeze it tight. Not too tight, but tight enough. ]

But I think that… when things get really bad, it’s important to just keep reaching out. It might seem like it doesn’t mean much at the time, but I promise you…

[ She smiles, bright and with watery eyes. ]

It means so much more than you realize…