{She laughs, but it's a sad sound, and the head of a baby Absol pops out from between the folds of the blankets, peering curiously at his mama.}

A-ahh, your pragmatism never ceases to amuse me, Hitsugaya. I'm not getting sick.

{Azrael snuggles back down again, satisfied that things are okay.} It's just that being in that situation triggered certain long-buried memories. Specifically, they very last ones I had as a human.

{Put the pieces together, boy. She knows you can.}