he who hesitates is toast

Confused nerves fire at the light pressure along the interface between metal and flesh, dimming and flashing through and around thickened scar tissue. He doesn't react; he's felt this kind of thing before, and her touch is a lot gentler than what he's become accustomed to.

"Better than the alternative, probably." He sounds a little wry, but can't really help it. "The first connections weren't great. I tried tearing it off, but obviously that wasn't allowed."