[That's a troubling response. Almost reflexively, Alice looks in toward her own magic. It seems normal enough, if depleted more than she would have expected. Maybe she's overdone it a bit on the way down.

The infection that's passed between them is still too small within Alice's own magic to be noticed. In time, she'll come to understand what Yona actually means, but for now all she can do is sympathize.]

Do you think it might be helped with an abjuration spell of some sort? It wouldn't be as effective as, say, a bond, but it might be worth a try.