Del:

“Everything?” Riordan said, pacing the hall outside the training room. “What do you mean everything?” The room had been cleared and the heard of executives had been sent away. Only Del and Riordan remained.

“Exactly what it sounds like,” Del answered. His shirt remained uncreased and his hair refused to be mussed, as if the episode hadn’t occurred. “Every single emotion I have ever felt, downloaded from my brain to hers in a second. It’s no wonder she is overwhelmed.” It had been almost half an hour since the incident and Nyssa had yet to be roused. She sat clutching her head in the corner on the training room, staring silently with an unfocused, fevered gaze.

Del had recovered from her mental assault enough to update Riordan on what had actually gone wrong during the test.

“It was as if my shielding wasn’t even there,” he said, not looking up from his hands and straightening his right cuff link. “There was no stopping her.”

His brain throbbed. A headache had bloomed behind his eyes the moment Nyssa had ripped his feelings out by the fistful. Riordan stopped his pacing, and breathed out through his nose harshly. For a moment he stared at the door to the training room and if he could see through it by sheer will.

“I’ll start making arrangements,” he said finally, not tearing his gaze away from the door. “We will need to clear a room for her in the-”

“We are not sending her there,” Del cut him off sharply.

“Del, think about this rationally,” Riordan said in his too calm voice. “After this ordeal she needs to be cared for.”

“And your solution is shoving her into the west wing?” Del clenched his teeth together, fighting for calm. “We don’t even know what she is going to be like coming out of this.”

“Del, we don’t even know if she will come out of this.”

Del finched.

“Del?” The small voice came from inside the training room. Del ripped open the door and was across the room before Riordan could react.

“Nys?” Del slid the last metre or so on his knees, coming to a stop in front of her. Nyssa was still hunched over, clutching her head but her eyes were now closed. “Are you alright, Nyssa?”

He double checked his mental shielding and ran his fingers over her limp hair.

“What sort of question is that?” she groaned. “Of course not. You have a lot of fucked up shit in that pretty little head of yours.”

Del was so relieved that he laughed out loud. Nyssa finched.

“I’m going to be sick,” she moaned. Del snagged an empty waste basket from the corner and wedged it under her chin. They sat like that for a while; Nyssa whining into her bin and Del watching over her, ready to help.

Eventually Nyssa discarded the empty bin and threw herself backwards. Del moved so he was standing over her splayed out form.

“Nys?” She covered her face with her arms and refused to look at him. “Nyssa, are you sure you’re alright?”

“No!” She shook her head vehemently underneath her folded arms. “All those confusing emotions was like going through puberty all over again. Except this is worse. They were boy emotions.”

Del chuckled lowly.

“Is the really how you see the world?” she asked, peeking out from underneath her arms. “Hollow moons and empty starlight?”

Del breathed out slowly through his nose. “Sometimes.”

Nyssa used almost exactly the same words Del had said to Myra weeks ago. She’d experience his emotions, not his memories and yet, she looked at the world the same as him. She hadn’t just felt his emotions, she’d understood them. Del’s heart gave a funny little thump.

She stretched her arms out beside her and tilted her head. Her brow furrowed and her eyes turned intense.

“How incredibly heartbreaking.”

They were silent for a moment.

“Come on, Nys.” He offered her his hands. “Let’s get you something for that headache you probably have.” She took both his hands and allowed herself to be pulled up off the floor.

“Del?” She hadn’t released his hands.

“Yes, Nyssa?”

“Do you really think I have a defective personality?”

“Yes, Nyssa.” His soft smile made it seem like less of an insult. If she recognised those feelings, she probably realise that Del was growing fond of this strange little creature that refused to be rescued. The more she fought him, the more he wanted to shield her from all the bad things in the world.

He gave her hands a squeeze and she gave him a bright little smile. Yeah, she knew he was fond of her. No doubt she would take advantage of that fact.

Riordan watched them walk away, frowning at the odd pair.