[The hand nearly startles him. Mattias looks back, bewildered though not taking his hand away. What they both lost wasn't the same but they weren't so far off, either. Slowly, he shifts back around to face Ryan. This time he's careful not to drag his hand away.]

No... I think you might. It... your sense was a part of you, yes? [It's a genuine question. He even looks up for it, a hopeful glance to check that he's right.] Nocta... she was the same. She lived within me. We were... separate, but one. Being without her... it feels like being a river without a current.

[His brow furrows, his head jerks up.] Does- does that make sense?