[Eliot loops his arm around Margo's shoulders to keep her close and takes a deep breath. The period of time between being freed from the monster and arriving in Duplicity isn't something he talks about if he can help it, but not telling Margo sounds unthinkable.]

Okay. This is a long, awful story, so bear with me. Um, this first part I only know secondhand, since I was, you know, not myself. I was awake in there, but I couldn't see or hear out or anything, so I don't really know the details of what went on while it still had me. But apparently you were the one who got me out? You went on some kind of desert spirit quest and got these badass axes that could undo possession, and I think the original plan was to try and hit me in the arm or something, but...

[Eliot pulls back just enough to lift up the hem of his shirt, revealing the huge twisted knot of scar tissue that takes up the right side of his torso.]

I'm not complaining, by the way, as long as it worked you could have hacked pieces off of me and I'd have been okay with it. Um, the thing was, you got it out, but then you guys just... had it in a jar, somehow? And you needed to get rid of it, and I wasn't any help because I was bleeding out and magic wasn't even back yet, Lipson had to do muggle surgery on me... Anyway. Um. It went bad. They got rid of the monster, but... Quentin didn't make it. They, uh - Penny and Alice - they said there... wasn't a body to bring back.

[Eliot has to stop there, eyes pinched shut while he takes another few deep breaths. Quentin is fine, he reminds himself. He's at work, but he'll be back later and he'll have dinner with you like he always does, and you'll go to sleep in the same bed because he's alive and he's fine.]