Aigis hadn't expected such a violent reaction, even from Sechs, but she was beginning to see that his reactions were always going to be explosive, no matter what the cause. She noticed a few heads turn their way from the area where the nurses and orderlies sat gossiping, but they hadn't yet risen to interfere. Good.

Calmly, carefully, Aigis reached out and placed her hands gently over the tops of where Sechs' lay, tense and trembling. She took a slow breath, but kept her eyes steady and clear. "It is merely insurance, in case I become something that is much too threatening to let alone."

She was trying to infuse logic into the equation. This wasn't about suicide. This was about priorities. "Do not think that I have given up yet." She even managed a half-smile. "In fact, the one who has promised to take care of things has also been encouraging me to find a cure before that happens. You have no cause for worry."

She added just a little more pressure to his hands, hoping the added warmth and sensory cues would be enough to pacify him. "I will not lie down and allow Landel the pleasure of knowing I have been broken, and I will not allow him to manipulate me any more than he has already."