[He tucks her head under his chin again, humming with the melody. He does not sob, not even a sigh or a faltering. She may feel his heart beating against hers, slow, steady, even, the heart of a strong, strange being, one whose emotional track does not run as hers does. But it does allow him to be there for her, moved in his own weird way.

So many he has lost or let go. It's almost easier for him to let go than to hold on to another. And her... the little that he knows, she does not deserve this, to be bereft.

Another low flare of bioluminescence passes through his eyes. He knows he cannot protect her as he's been trained to protect what matters. But he can be the rock on which she finds strength.]