[ he nods, the same kind of twitchy smile coming across his lips only to abort itself, too. ]

Nice to meet you, Elena. [ his eyes pinch together at the corners, sincerity dripping from his tone. ] They used you - to open this place. So that we'd find it.

[ it makes him doubt everything inside as a result, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't learn all there is to learn from it, the same. ]

It's important you remember it wasn't your fault. You couldn't control it.

[ he speaks with the weight of a man who's been forced to do things, too. a man whom it haunts. a man who blames himself. ]