Hold on a moment, he needs to breathe. And straighten up so his burns stop hurting.

"Just your, ah. Talkin' about eating rocks," he says, sheepish and still somewhat tight-voiced. "That's, uh. Might be one of the weird things that's gone into my body. Though..." He clears his throat, and it's hard to tell if the action is nervous tic or genuinely sore. "It wasn't quite eaten, as much."