"You run," he shot back, fishing in his pocket for the flask of holy water and working to unscrew the cap as the entity steadily approached.

He leaned forward, protruding deeply into her personal space, and whispered loudly, "Why can I touch you?"

Feo tried to hide a grimace as he braced himself for the outburst of motherly concern that was sure to come. Would he lie? Could he lie, given the bloodstains still on the floorboards? "Everything's okay," he was quick to assure her. "We just had a, um... incident."

Kyros gave Sparrow a look that told her he was on Pari's side on this one.
"You," he gestured to his cousin. "Explain. Was this before or after the demon attack?"
Both had weird implications.

"You're avoiding the question. I'm just trying to calculate implications and repercussions."

"No, no, no, I don't like that," Feofil voiced reflexively, hands suddenly delving into his pockets again and pulling out the first thing he could grab-- the bundle of herbs. He dared to take a step closer to the demon to reach one of the candles that they had lit earlier, its flame flickering weakly against the otherworldly dark. Hopefully, though, it would be enough for the herbs to catch, and then... and then...

"Shit," he exhaled in a labored breath, taking a step back so his back hit the wall behind them. Despite Pari's instructions, he did not relent, maintaining his efforts even as he felt himself being overcome by the pressure of its dark sphere of influence, bringing hopelessness and despair. This was not how they were going to go.

"Yes. Yeah." He couldn't believe it had slipped his mind, though he felt some disdain at her calling it a demon power. He took a deep breath and readied his stance, focusing on stilling his mind. By controlling the flow of his breath, he controlled the flow of time itself. Inner power outwards.

He couldn't fully eradicate the sense of terror deep in his gut, screaming at him to run. He switched gears and attempted to harness it instead, throwing his hands out in front of him with all the willpower in the world. The air around them warped and crackled slightly, and Melat's steady approach was slowed by stuttering halts though none of them fully took hold. Feo redoubled his efforts, gritting his teeth in a desperate attempt to get it to stop.

Feo took her hands in his in an attempt to settle her. "I'm fine." He assured her quietly, "I'll tell you about it later."

"How long are you here for?" Feo asked after nodding his assent to Roo.