[ The ghosts of that past have yet to settle; something of Gabriel wants to flinch away from all contact, perceiving the threat of an invasion that will force him to confront every painful truth stifled here day after day. But those days are a closed chapter whose contents won't change, and this is March. Yesod doesn't withdraw his hands, responding after some moments to let his fingers curl around hers lightly. They are human fingers, for now, encased in these gloves, the scarring and fresh marks concealed until this body is gone.

Vaguely, he wonders whether the touch would feel different, if his hands were bare. ]

...I often asked myself whether that incident could have been prevented, but we did nothing before that, either. And this... Monitoring keys and doors was meaningless.