[ She sets down her wine and brings her other hand, still warm from the cup, to join their others, the pad of her thumb stroked into the web between his and forefinger. Her eyes are on their hands, too, and she shakes her head, just once back and forth. As she leans over them, the heavy garnet ring she wears on a chain around her neck swings to press against her sweater from the inside, and the arrowhead on its cord beside. ]

But we were failing her. We were going to fail her. [ She's quiet a moment, like she might say more, that sense of words built up and turned over he's come to recognize. But she swallows them back down and just squeezes his hand. ] We just have to win this war while we still can. And then we can give all this up for good, like we said. Otherwise-- [ she shakes her head again, quicker this time and for longer ] I can't.