His scrambling stopped as the fire disappeared, though he was still breathing heavily and staring in fear at the spot where it had been. It took him several seconds to calm down enough to at least pry himself away from the wall and speak, though he still clutched Frozen Pride defensively to his chest in a vain effort to hide how he was shaking.

"You would...think that having-" A pause, as he took a moment to breathe. "That having left my heart behind would-would have prevented this, and yet..."