Locke was quiet through most of it, uncharacteristically so. When she addressed him, he looked up and gave her a smile, lips pressed into a thin line.

"Pretty silly, mostly," he admitted, aiming for light and succeeding only partway. The effect fell dramatically flat when coupled with the tenseness of his posture and the shallowness of his breath. Better him than her, but Celes probably wouldn't have stumbled back onto the damn thing in the first place. She paused, and he found her hand with his. Even now, with the fire going and his blood on her hands, she's cold to the touch.

"Go on and put me out of my misery, before I freeze to death."