"It doesn't matter," he responded. "Madison has told me some about your kind. You're not as immortal as I once thought."

The assassin let his fingers run long her skin. The deep cracks and broken porcelain seemed mended... in a way. Instead of the inky black and seeping void of death, her tainted marks felt coarse to the touch like a wound scabbed over. Some areas seemed healed entirely and others left behind the pinkish hue of a minor scar. His gentle touch slowed and stopped over her stomach. She was quick to clutch his hand and move it aside.

"It that why I have this... thing inside me?" Scarlet hissed, her eyes downcast from his.

"No, that is not related." Lye moved his hand to her chin and forced her to look at him. Instead of a gentle gaze, he looked her over. Specifically, the golden trim that highlighted the depths of the darkness.

"You're a bomb." He let her free and stood to collect some herbs from his alchemy desk. "An unstable force of nature. I already knew this... to a degree."

"Not like that's steam science..." Scarlet muttered. She scooped the frayed and charred sheets around her and tried to cover her exposed nudity. Lye tossed a sideways glare over his shoulder before returning to his mixture.

"What I mean is, you need me. Haven't you noticed that this never got so out of control with... him?" He referenced her brother, keen to avoid the name in her sensitive state. "Despite his actions, you are dependent on another. A companion."

Lye returned to her with a flask of a light brownish color. It's aroma of floral and earthy notes wafted from its lip.

"Here," he offered it to her. "An herbal remedy to help relax the muscles and ease the mind."

With some hesitation, she took it from his hand.

"I don't understand." Scarlet held the drink cupped in her hands and stared blankly at it. "None of this makes any sense."

She felt Lye's hand on her back before he pulled her against him into an embrace. The action unsettled her, and he brows pursed together in confusion.

"Just relax," he cooed. "So long as you never leave me, you'll remain yourself. Keep your distance from anyone else in your past. That samurai included."