It didn't want to be touched.
It didn't want to be disturbed.
It had buried itself to withstand the collapse.
Quinlan did not reach out immediately.
He lingered near it first, letting it feel his presence without pressure or expectation. He waited until it stopped shrinking away. Only then did he extend the faintest thread of intent, lighter than a breath, toward that knot of warmth.
No push.
No pull.
Just a quiet touch, offered and easy to avoid if she chose to.
Kaelira's presence trembled.
But it didn't retreat.
However, now that he had found her, Quinlan faced a new dilemma.
He didn't know what to do next.
Once again, he wasn't a soul healer. He had no technique to pull her back. No method to repair what was strained. If he pushed the wrong way, he might crush the little she had left.
So he did the only thing he could.
He formed a thought.
Then another.
And let them drift toward her.
His intent brushed against that knot of presence.
