He breaks a smile. It's small and weak, but it's there. "A scientist can be grateful for an offer to help. But really, I'll be fine."

And Carlos knew not to underestimate little girls. They killed librarians.

"Get yourself to safety first. Well, relative safety. Nowhere in the Arena is truly safe and everywhere carries with it the inherent risk of death," he rambled, "but, you can lower your chances of immediate death by getting off this ice rink."