Well, this isn't going as smoothly as he'd planned. Of course, his plan had largely revolved around handing her the gauntlets, informing her "you are allowed to hold on to these, now never let me know where they are," and then running in the opposite direction so as not to know where she might hide them. ...It wasn't a good plan, in hindsight.

"I..." Am fundamentally changed on both a mental, spiritual and temporal level? No, that's going to require too much explanation. He could pull out his phone and show her the texts he'd sent, but again, too much explanation. He just wants to leave, he doesn't want to talk.

"Please don't ask exploratory questions, I'm trying to avoid them as much as possible. Suffice it to say that the captain has a less solid grip on our reality here than we thought previously, and I was -- mmmomentarily out of place, I think. I'm back now, or well," He never left, but that doesn't explain the skull, "I'm here in a way that matters. I think."

He doesn't know for sure, though.

"Please don't ask questions," because that bears repeating if he hasn't already said it. "The problem is that I cannot be around these anymore. I can't explain," he really can't, just the thought of talking about Vile makes him feel sick, "But I want you to hold onto them. Find a place that I would never look to hide them."

("Ah, the desperation is palpable," but since China is strictly stuck to the timeline for now, he absolutely can ignore her here.)