"You do what any good soldier would do," she replied, touching his face lightly, "you make sure that the death is neither forgotten nor without value." That was how Mina handled it, anyway. Over two hundred years of experience still hadn't taught her to bear each and every death with grace. It still hurt. Just not as long.

Her fingers trailed along his cheekbone. "And you don't blame yourself. That's an unending spiral. Not a good place for someone who's end is very far away."