There’s more than one reason for the mask. How thoughtful of his modiste. It takes him longer than he would like to work it back on over his face, to hide the wound and the agony; his fingers are numb, slowly regaining enough feeling to hurt. But once he’s Bella’s hound again, his pain hidden (how appropriate!) he grits his teeth and forces himself to keep up.

That’s the role of the pet, after all, the one that Bella played for so long. Keep up, no matter how unfair the world gets, with a (rictus) smile on your face. That’s what Bella did for Redana, and that’s what he has to do for Bella. Otherwise, what’s the point? What’s the point of the pain? If there’s no point, then he’s just hurting like this for no reason and it would break him. So there has to be a meaning for the pain. And the meaning is that he has to hurt like she has hurt for her princess.

His half-dead fingers interlace with hers as she accepts his weight. Pets and owners. The loyalty they owe each other. Pets and owners, and the debts they inherit from the people they used to be. Does that mean she’s given up on Redana? Is the connection of pets and owners broken apart between them?

…well, good. Because Redana never deserved her Bella, anyway. And they’ve got a Beautiful to save. So don’t let that hurt too, Skotia. There’s enough poison searing your heart right now, you don’t need cigarette ash choking it shut. Besides, this is the farewell, isn’t it? Unless he really does go with her. Unless he lets Redana Claudius sail on in pursuit of a relayed dream.

Why does that thought hurt, too?

Bella’s fingers throb between Skotia’s, so strong he can feel them through the dull ache. Bella’s got a heart that won’t stop. And he never would have known, and Redana never would have known—

He squeezes her fingers, and he tries to give her the reassurance she’s been looking for for so, so long. That he sees her. That he’s sorry for breaking her heart. That he’s frightened of having to become a new person once he takes everything off. That he thought he was going to die and his last thought was [i]Bella’s still in danger[/i] and he thought he was going to die knowing he’d failed her again.

So many things trying to squeeze their way out through his fingers as they help each other up the stairs.