[Funnily enough, a great many of his melted away as well. He'd been resigning himself to going into this without any of his people at his side, to worrying about her just as much as Erandur, Serana, Lydia, his children- but Rose, at least, is here and safe, and he can't hide his relief. Nor, frankly, does he want to.

He chuckles as the dogs swarm, unwinding one arm from around Rose to pat their heads, scratch them behind the ears - and inevitably get his hand licked half to death. Apollo is one of the ones doing the licking, even.

Van starts when he speaks, but then looks closer, and starts to realize what must have happened - though he still can't fathom how.] Oh, ah... Hello to you too, Apollo.

[Then she says that, and there's a flicker of- reluctance? Grief? He hugs her close again, burying his face in her hair for a long moment.] I made it back to Tamriel. [He says at length.] The portal between it and Eudio closed behind me, and then...

[He remembers his own desperate, unprepared reading of the Dragon Scroll, trying to open another Time-Wound. Desperately trying to usher his family through, only to have them torn from his grasp once inside...]

My world was ending, and nothing I could do even seemed to slow the decay. So I opened a portal of my own, and tried to bring at least part of my family with me; I seem to be the only one who made it through, though.