Stein closed his eyes and endured the stinging. His fingers moved restlessly, twitching until he finally grabbed onto Birkin's coat and hung on again, trying to remind himself that this was real, that Birkin was right there, and with him.

"Not so bad," he echoed, and opened his eyes with sudden animation. "It's bad, Birkin. It's so bad. BREW... with BREW they can do anything. It's the most powerful demon tool ever made, and here I am, and I can't do a damn thing at all! I'm so weak, and useless, and it's time to just throw me away."

He flailed with one arm at the end, nearly knocking a piece of equipment over. "That's what they're going to do," he said softly, letting the hand drop. "Throw me away. And I can't blame them, either. They have bigger things to worry about than one lost meister."