[ If he stares into her eyes long enough, hard enough, there's just a blankness to them, an emptiness that doesn't match her expression as lips curl into a bright smile. ]

Of course it is. [ On any other occasion, this would not be her answer. ] I can't protect anyone. Not my friends, not my family, not even myself. Even the fire that occurred in the CERES offices... I couldn't prevent that, either.