you come to me, wild and wired

Ludo "If you had both died that day, would you have still let her die?" Ludo asked, its tone gently wondering, not particularly expectant of an answer. "Would you carry that guilt with you to Mort, even as you held her and spend the rest of time as her guardian?" It doubted very much, but nothing, of course, was certain. So it continued to wait, gently flowing around the shrine and the ocean beyond, all of which was blank shades of grey now. The mask would seem to smile again in response to Remi's question, tilting curiously to one side. "You know the answer to that question," it said softly. Dead was dead was dead. It let the silence between them grow for one beat, two. "I shall take that as your declining my offer," it said, turning to gaze out at the sea. "Did you know, Remi, that for some the best kindness you can show is death?"