Time seemed to pause, and in the aftermath of that frozen moment, she spoke, without movement to claim as her own.

Only the dead don't speak. How ironic. It seemed that she was closer to herself than broken than a girl would have had him believe. At the least, Yomi was able to move. As he was. As Ritsuka and Nigredo did. Still, his throat dried up, syllables swallowed under his tongue. His fingertips found his opposite arm and tightened into a sleeve. He stared.

Only the dead don't speak. "...Yet we still are vocal when we need," he said. "Even after we've died." Even after we've returned.