As the words had run away from him, he saw something settle in her. Something he'd said had connected and her face lost some of its fear. The fright was still there, but now it was backed by what could have been understanding. Her left arm spasmed, her hand flexed, and she pulled it to her lap and held it there. The energy fled from him, and he glanced away. His own body was stiff, almost shaking, as its artificial portions sought to do what they'd been built to do: remove the threat, stop whatever caused him such pain. The source of the pain wasn't here, though, and he hadn't been there when it might have mattered. He looked down, away, then took a step back, trying to regain control of himself.