It's still kind of unbelievable that Elidibus isn't in top form as is; Popp's seen him pulling out minor miracles and still hasn't seen him on the back foot outside of navigating otherworldly social differences now and then.

"Yeah." His voice cracks, and he looks down at his hands. "The Avan here, the young one. You can't tell him; he doesn't know anything about it. He's not even a real hero yet; I can't go putting all that on him."

Not that Popp feels particularly heroic right now. He might not be physically leaning on Elidibus for stability right now but his heart sure is! Even so, he considers himself more mature than Avan in some respects and confronting your own mortality is one of them.