Something else is happening. It's still so dark, and all he can hear is his own harsh breath and the gusting of wind above him, but then there's a rustling and pressure against his side. Something soft and heavy half-pins him to the earth but he doesn't have to worry about wriggling his arms free of either the weight or his wrappings. The cloth is already being pulled away, and then he can see. The world is blurred, but all he need is shape and color to recognize that it is in fact Nina atop him, before she raises the light so close he's blinded -- the opposite problem he had a moment ago, and he squints and blinks against it rapidly.

"It's me," he manages to confirm, his voice his own but also unsteady. She did it this time, somehow, and Matthias is still struggling a bit to process that but it's now that he does try to free his arms, because he has a sudden overwhelming need to reach for her. So long, it seems, he hasn't been able to, but his movements are clumsy and shaky.

If she'd set the lantern down and assist, he'd be much obliged.