Eh? Oh — [ Right. Right, of course he wouldn't know. ] … It's fine; it's no big secret.

[ ... And she should probably pull her hand away. She should, right? ... and she will, in a minute. ]

It's a holdover from the last place I was kidnapped to. Everyone has "objectives" and "taboos" tied to their souls, individualised to them. Completing objectives gives a boost to in mental and-or-physical well-being, and helps the soul recover from — well, being snacked on by a stupid snake god, essentially. [ The alliteration was absolutely on purpose. ] Taboos do the opposite.

One of my objectives was … is touch.