[ He settles as she strokes his face, melting into the touch even as her nails whisper up along the curve of an eye socket. To the questions, he shuts his eyes, mouth drawn tight with unhappiness. He lets her lead him; he stands with the seawater swilling around his ankles, while she folds herself down to be closer to it. ]

You're different. [ She isn't anyone's jailer. There's an easier comparison, here, one he's skirting around. ] She keeps hurting us. She keeps me away from you, away from everything— [ His throat is tight. He fumbles, digs his fingers into the wet sand for something to do; brings it up in grainy black clumps, building an ugly castle. ] It's not just a one-and-done, not just that she dumped us here and wandered off. She won't stop.