Ghent waited with bated breath, a mess of nerves until Elayra finally showed signs of life. He was so relieved when she responded, he nearly hugged her. 
	He swallowed uneasily, giving her time to compose herself. She sounded so…weak. When he was sure Elayra was stable enough to stay upright on her own, he released her shoulders and remained nearby as she removed what remained of the vine. 
	Before he could say anything about the nasty marks left by the thorns, an awful cry rang out from the shore. Ghent bent his knees to submerge himself again, the water stopping just below his nose. He stared at the creature heatedly, unable to pity it after the terror it caused them. He flinched as the tongues shot out, but relaxed when he realized it couldn’t reach them. He wished the monster would lose its balance and take a spill like its partner did.
	Ghent glanced at Elayra as the monster retreated, rising to his full height after she did. Wonderland was Elayra’s turf, so he trusted her enough to believe their enemy wouldn’t return. 
	“Oh,” was all he managed to utter in response. He still didn’t feel sorry for them, not after the damage they caused. He coughed lightly, wondering if his heartbeat would ever again return to normal while he was still in Wonderland.
	Taking in another grateful breath, Ghent began to follow Elayra. He hoisted himself onto dry land, his stinging neck and wrist a reminder of what they’d gone through.
	Sitting a little bit away from Elayra, Ghent sat cross-legged, keeping a wary eye on her from a distance. Stray droplets of water dripped down his face from his hair, his bangs sticking against his forehead. He tugged at a stray thorn that remained stuck in his wrist, cursing quietly as he tossed it aside. 
	Ghent glanced up when the blonde spoke again. He smiled lightly despite himself, the nickname not bothering him as it normally would. He was just happy she could still say it.
	“Yeah, well, this idiot just saved your life,” he reminded her with a faint smirk. Under different circumstances, he would have gloated further, but he suspected his stupid prank was partially responsible for leading the monsters to their location.
	“Seriously, though…are you alright? You were under there for a long time…like, a really long time.” Ghent couldn't shake his paranoia. In the back of his mind, he remembered his dad mentioning something about dry drowning. "Did you swallow any water?"