Ben's answer came quietly.
"Then I deal with it. Look, it's not like we have the luxury of turning down power like this.
Our enemy's stronger than both of us. If we don't take risks, how are we supposed to grow strong enough to fight back?"
He met her eyes.
"It's not like every one of your experiments is one hundred percent safe either."
Elvira stared at him for a long moment, silent, unreadable. Then she turned away with a sigh of pure frustration.
"You better be safe," she muttered.
"Because whether you like it or not… we're in this together."
Ben gave her a crooked smile.
"Fair. But for now? You still need that sample, right?"
She shot him a glare.
"Don't think this conversation's over."
Afterward, Elvira quietly capped the vial and slipped it into a reinforced case at her side.
Then, without a word, she turned and focused straight on Ben's soul. Her eyes narrowed.
