[ Hermione looks at Erik, and she nods her head. There's no point in trying to hide the fact that she's as raw and hurt as he is - it doesn't matter how much time passes, the death of the people you love is impossible to ignore. The first time Dorian had died for her (and the fact that she has to say 'first time' speaks for itself) she had been so broken and lost she had ripped a woman's spine out.

There's no coming back from that kind of pain. ]

It's not going to go away... But that's alright. If we accept it and force ourselves to pretend then we're not being ourselves, and no one wants that.