[His eyes are not as sharp as hers, through the dim of the room he can't make out the tears that threaten her. But he hears the tremble in her voice, the way her mouth quivers around the words she's afraid to speak.

He hears them, and he wishes he could reach into Riley's past and undo whatever has built her up to feel this way.

Eridanus' glittering hands find her flushed cheeks, cupping them tendering in a hold that feels far too gentle for such dangerous claws. His thumbs are careful in the way they swipe under her eyes to wipe away her shame and her fear.]

Of course you are, have I not been watching over you since the first moment we met?

[His own voice sounds near-breaking, as if the carefully built walls around his own emotions were slowly crumbling away.

Eridanus pulls Riley to his chest, back into a tight hug to reassure her that he isn't going anywhere.]

Despite that false life, my love for you is real. I will always support you, that is what family is.