[ She can't meet his gaze-- not initially, but the apology gets her to look back at him, albeit briefly. Uncertainty remains written upon both her features and posture, and she favors her bottom lip. So used to showing deference to the immortals of her world, it's ingrained in her to both fear and revere any of them. ]

I... [ Does she try to explain herself? A part of her desperately wants someone to understand-- to be on her side, the way she'd have her classmates back in her world. Another part of her wants to protect herself from judgment.

Her eyes turn back to him, then away, and then shut tightly. Now is not the time to seem small, but that's all she feels. Like a people upon the shore, ready to be washed beneath the current. She coughs once into her hand. ]

I want to become stronger. And I want... to live. Using the altar-- if I modified its purpose-- could have helped with that.