Ilia shook her head a bit against Anise's words. She head heard the warnings and had ignored them. Even if she tried to justify her actions, it still didn't change the fact that her inability to step in and put a stop to their progress in the basement had perhaps been the only hope they might have had at keeping Rose still alive. How much grief could they have been saved if not for her stubbornness?

She clutched a bit tighter when the Head Doctor was mentioned. It was true. He was the one really to blame when all was said and done. He had been the one to put them into that mess by bringing them here in the first place.

As if to compound her already weakened state, Claude came over then. The look on his face was indescribable, and it left her feeling even more broken. Hearing his voice and feeling that arm go around her shoulder was almost too much. Ilia unhooked one of her arms from around Anise and wrapped it around Claude, moving to place her head on his shoulder. She barely choked down a sob.

There was something inherently comforting about Claude. The way he smelled or the sound of his voice. It was like coming home. "I just wish... I should have listened!"