Charles knew that silence, that stillness Edwin put on. He knew it well, even if it happened very rarely. It was when Edwin was truly afraid, so afraid that he couldn't do anything about it. And Charles' heart broke.

Charles cursed under his breath, fisting his hands for a moment to keep himself focused. As he did he could feel them tensing like they never did since he died. He had bones and flesh and blood and it all clung to his spirit, weighing him down.

"Edwin," Charles started, letting out a breath. "Breathe, yeah? Just breathe for now," he said, and reached for the boy, cupping his face in his hands. He leaned in to press a hard kiss on Edwin's forehead. He was warm under his touch, against his lips... "I'm here, I'll get us out of here, Edwin. 'S gonna be fine, yeah?"

He rambled, taking another look at Edwin as he pulled away, still holding him.

"Think..." Charles said, mostly to himself. They were fine before they got in this space. It could be a trap someone left here. Which means it could be local. Which also meant that they needed to get the pieces of the floorboard out of Edwin before they left, otherwise the trap won't let them go. Right. Yes. That was something Charles could focus on. "Let's get this out of your shoulder first," he said, and reached for the piece of wood.