Wow! Did I say I was offering? [She super wasn't, buddy.] I'm no belle of the ball, but you'd still be punching waaaaaaaaaay above your weight.

[That earns another cackle, as raspy as the last. And shit, you'd think she was trying to foxtrot on an ice rink over here, her heel slips again and her weight falls all on Sweet Wheats. She grunts, righting herself and lifting that leg to give it a firm shake, like a dog shucking water. Damn. How much longer would it have taken to freeze to death?]

Never felt so shitty in my life! Is this what normal people deal with? Pain never bothered me. Actually it gives me a bit of a thrill. A tasty treat to remind you to live while you're alive. No one ever got the drop on me before we boarded the Space Train, let me tell you.

[He prattles on, some mild concerns. She flashes him a bright grin. At least the muscles in her face are returning to form.]

Oh don't you worry about that, Mini-Wheats. I'm always armed. Maybe these shadows can give me a run for my money, but I'd keep them pretty damn busy while you haul your carcass away! It might be fun, maybe I'll figure out the trick to killing 'em in the rematch. Maybe we need to get creative, huh? Let's put our brains together!

[She knocks her forehead against his. Hard.]

How do you get rid of a shadow? Hmmmm?