And really, that was all he could do. Sarissa didn't believe she could withstand the Mantle's influence. She'd watched a lot of people try and fail, and most of them were stronger than she was. At the very least, all she could hope for was lasting longer than Lily had, mostly because of a small bit of ego that believed herself to be smarter and stronger than Lily. (Because really, the girl had been beautiful, but also an idiot.) In time, though, she was going to be taken over, and no one could stop it. It was, really, selfish to try. Her world needed a full-fledged Summer Lady to maintain nature's balance. Who was she to prevent that just because she was attached to her own identity? The world would go on without Sarissa; it couldn't, without the Summer Lady.
It didn't meant that Sarissa wasn't scared, though.
She gave him another smile, bittersweet. "I appreciate it. And really, it helps just to talk about it. It's not like I have a lot of people I can talk to, you know?"