Coral, shirt removed, sits still while the blindfolded Helen dabs potion on her chest. Coral * I   don't belong here. —Helen— What? Coral * I. I just know it. * I can feel it in my skin. I shouldn't be here. —Helen— Agh, Coral, come on now. Coral * You-- you don't understand. * When I got here, I thought I could just pretend I belonged here, and if I kept it up long enough it would... * I dunno, it would just become true. * But that's not what's happening. Coral * I'm like a splinter in flesh here. The longer I stay in the worse the infection gets. * The only way to treat that is to pull the splinter out. * I can't-- I can't keep lying to myself about this-- * There is a part of me, deep in the back of my head, the part that knows what truth sounds like, and it's telling me I HAVE TO LEAVE. —Helen— ... Helen tells a story. —Helen— When I decided I didn't wanna be Proteus' Heir anymore, I made a plea to my aunt, the Goddess. She didn't care who I was. She was just happy to help. Used some kinda ancient magics on me, transformed me from a demigod into just... a normal elf girl. Coral * ...Huh. —Helen— After that she invited me to her island, and then... I mean, I felt like an interloper. Didn't matter that I looked like them, I thought, like... something was still there, and it was always gonna make me different. Coral * But it didn't. —Helen— Sometimes I catch myself thinking it does, but... Nah. That's a mirage. Just you talking through the mirror back at yourself. Coral * ... * This is different. * This-- this is metaphysical. Coral grips her shoulder tight. Coral * You heard what Proteus said. Everything's fraying. * And it's fraying because there are things that don't belong, there are things like ME-- —Helen— Stop it. Helen, still blindfolded, grabs Coral by the cheek. —Helen— You don't know that. Coral * I... —Helen— You don't. Coral * ... * Then help me to find out. * I need to see it. I need to see what it was, in Proteus' castle, that has him so scared. —Helen— Uggghhh... you really know how to be a pain in the butt. Coral * Please. —Helen— Potion's fully applied. Ribs still feel broken? Coral * ...No. —Helen— Good. Now put your stupid shirt on so we can get this over with.