[ asriel considers it. he really considers it. that makes him tense enough to start grinding his teeth, and he shakes his head. ]

Nothing I am desperate enough to try.

[ he dislikes admitting this because it feels like failure. ]

If we bare our souls and suffer for it, it gets what it wants. If we sit here until it tires of the game, it's forced us to play along, so it gets what it wants.

[ he's tallying up every grievance and saving them for later. ]

I'll choose the path of least resistance for now and retest in an hour. There's work to do anyway, is there not?

[ he will endure holding hands longer to maintain some dignity. ]