[As if to better ground herself, Jade plants her palms over the earth. Her gloved fingers curl into the dirt as she tries to process... everything. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the texture. All of it is unfamiliar and yet none of it matters. It exists.]

I know. And I we're just passengers, but... These worlds, these... Eventualities. They're real enough to the people living in it, y'know?

[They have to be. Otherwise Rynéus just died all over again for no other reason than to torture her, and he never would have wanted that. But for that brief period they were together again, she got to appreciate it a little more, knowing what she does since losing him the first time.

[And before she realizes it, she's crying again. Jade curses under her breath, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand, and a flustered grunt.]

Dammit. Thought I was doing pretty okay after those last few worlds. Guess I just didn't want those kids to see me like this. [She forces a shaky laugh, masking a sob.] Adults are supposed to keep their shit together.

[And the children of this village deserve someone strong and reliable. Not some pathetic urchin who got their family killed, who has been hanging on by a thread well before even inheriting this whole mess.]