There were muscles in Ishiah's arm that twitched, body attempting to pull through with the motions he saw so many people going through on the island. Of course, conceptually Ishiah had understood embraces and their uses for centuries, even thousands of years, but it wasn't until he actually lived among those who used it on a regular basis that he felt any sort of temptation to mimic the motion. It was like learning a language, in many ways, or at least to try and speak it after so many years of simply reading and watching. Although it was halting, he did reach out his arms to Lucy, sliding slightly off his seat and simply holding her gently there, embrace in place of the wings he normally could have sheltered another with.

"The first solution which comes to my mind," he began, words seemingly incongruous with his actions, "is simply to draw enough people close that you'll always have at least one with you on the island. But such a routine might become tiring after a time — or perhaps it already has. I don't think that your theory is correct, however. You will have someone you care about who outstays you. But it is important that you don't allow yourself to drown in fears, even if they're ever-present."

He pulled back slightly, eyes a stormy shade of blue. "I want to help. I'm not entirely sure that I'm managing."