their first meeting is so crazy to me bc he's spent 700+ years suffering largely in isolation and kafka and firefly have to kill and restrain him to even have a chance to talk to him and when she uses her whisper his mind is able to focus on her words more than his pain and it's possibly the first time anyone had spoken to him in a gentle tone since his exile. on elio's behalf she offers the end he's been seeking and this is her first time suppressing his mara so her approach is more to try to quiet his thoughts entirely rather than targeting anything specific but with the remaining clarity he has he recognizes her sadness and even speculates about her loss which is very significant to me bc all things considered he has no reason to give any thought to her beyond what threat she poses, especially since he's spent so long away from others suffocated by his own torment and feeling disconnected from his personhood, yet when his own pain temporarily subsides his thoughts linger on her as a person, not just her offer or the quietness caused by her whisper

me when two characters who've dedicated themselves to becoming weapons to serve larger purposes recognize each other's suffering bc they're both familiar with grief and they see and treat each other as people with their own thoughts and feelings regardless of their respective beliefs about themselves instead of viewing each other as a means to achieving their own goals (cat exploding gif)