Devin listened as he continued to stitch her injury closed; it would be ideal if he had some subcutaneous numbing agent, but that wasn't the kind of thing you got off the shelf, even in this city. Resources needed to be apportioned properly.

"I imagine letting your soul go wandering around freely isn't considered worth the risk on top of everything else," he remarked. "So, basically you can only maintain it safely or at all if the person consents to your presence." Abaddon might kick her out swiftly, if it weren't Devin empowered to make that decision. His soul was elsewhere, after all. "How aware is the person of what you're doing? Souls don't really have nerve endings."

By the time he finished speaking, he was starting to tie off the neat line of sutures, knotting one and carefully to ensure they didn't unravel or pinch her skin.