"I don't... I really don't know," Ava admits, because it's not the first time she's been asked, most recently Erin. Whenever she speaks of her ailment, the other party immediately tries to come up with solutions, and how lucky she is that others care. She knows how difficult it is to be faced with such an impossible situation, watching somebody you know go through something so terrible and being unable to provide any substantial help. She knew how heartbreaking it was for Bill, to watch her results come back worse every time, despite all the countless late nights in the lab trying to find solutions. She knows.

Ava rubs tiredly at her eyes. "The problem is it's very complex, unpredictable, unstable energy. Like my body functions on a different wavelength of reality. That isn't quite compatible with the laws of physics beyond the particle level. Introducing other... kinds of energy, like magic. Could disrupt me further. There was so much math involved, getting all the calculations right, fine-tuning and adjusting..." She's afraid even the most well-meaning attempt might hurt her even more.