Her transition back to the shoreline has provided slack in the main line, so there’s no need to delay fighting with the links thanks to Walter minding the ropes to reach the warming station they had set. Once Sadie is seated on the waiting blanket, Benjiro kneels down beside her where he can block some of the wind. With the opening made by her removal of her diving mask, Benjiro will use the opportunity to stop the recording of the GoPro to limit stress on the storage or battery. Then he focuses entirely on listening to her recounting the experience with one arm encircling her shoulders.

Mild surprise raises his brows before they lower in contemplation as he considers the situation with one hand brought up to his chin. That she was responding to the rhythmic pulsing by trying to match her breathing raises concern that she could pass out should the influence strengthen for any reason. At the same time, that she found even perceptual evidence of something in the river mouth is promising.

Benjiro replies to Walter’s question without hesitation, “Or beneath the water. Either position should be maintained as a working hypothesis until it actually triggers Echoes reliably.” A thought that makes him visibly flinch with discomfort. Shaking his head to clear the notion before he can imagine too much, he turns to Sadie to ask her a set of questions with his hand dropping to gesture, “How close were you to the bottom? Was it centered out where you surfaced? And…do you think it’s worth going back to?” He may not be keen on her returning to it, but they want answers.