“Guilfoyle’s a wise man. It’s very similar: a grounding exercise to interrupt those spiraling thoughts, to refocus on the tangible.” Stephen has to think for a moment to remember the precise order, but it eventually comes back to him. Teaching her this, handing her more tools for the toolkit, another knife to wield on her own:

“If you find yourself needing to use it again: It’s naming five things you see around you, four things you can touch, three things you hear, two things you can smell, one thing you can taste.”

His hand drifts down again, away from Gwenaëlle’s cheek to settle on her knee instead, a tangible weight of its own. He tilts his head, inquisitive.

“What would have felt like a trick?”