He saw the look in her eyes when she met his gaze for the first time. Taking advantage if it,  he used the brief moment to check her injuries. She was seriously injured, dehydrated, anemic, malnurished.... the evidence of the torture she had endured sickened him. As she spaced off and stared so blankly at him, he spoke softly.<br/><br/>"Relax and breathe, Aria... just watch my eyes.  Do not look away. Just keep watching. Let all of your thoughts fade away. The longer you look, the more you will find that your eyes will not break away from mine. They are glued. The longer they remain glued, the harder you will find it to remember what is going on..."<br/><br/>As he spoke, he checked her bandages and wounds, making sure that she was still alright. She seemed fine, though her bandages would need to be changed. First, however, she needed food. He rose and left her there, staring b.ankly. He knew that as soon as he broke eye contact, the trance would begin to shatter. Sure enough, when he returned and sat before her with the bowl of food, she was aleady coming around. He put the bowl down and picked up the bottle of pills. Before he could offer it, she went pale and stammered out an objection.<br/><br/>Nodding, he put the bottle down, "lets see how you feel after you eat. The pills will help you feel better. The more pain you feel, the slower you will heal. okay?"<br/><br/>He held up a spoon full of warm stew and offered it to her, since she would be unable to use it with her bandaged fingers.