[ Vash... makes one sound, just one, somewhere between a whine and a retch, and he drops to his knees, then breathes in (the smell of blood not helping anything and smiles a little and moves, to take his other self's head in his lap, gentle 9but cold, he's feeling cold all over, even in the desert heat) fingers brushing hair back from his forehead. And yes, there is a soft, soothing feeling around him again. It's a littel shaky, it's all he can manage right now, but it's there.

His understanding of gates is still incomplete, but he understands in some visceral way the horror of what Nai has done, which goes beyond the obvious. ]

You tried to fight it, you did your best, all right? This... this place, it brings people here, from different versions of our story. But not everyone. So far, not very many of him, so I think for now you are all safe for him.

But sometimes, it pulls people from other times, also. Rem is here. And Tessla... Some sisters were holding her together, and with their help, she is whole again. Not in pain.

So just breathe as much as you can for now. Apparently, in this place... people who die return again. At least... at least Wolfwood did, earlier. [ This last part also an explanation to the ghost. But also, oh, he knows how efficiently he is killing his other self's hope right there. ] We'll have to figure out some other way to help you.