{They} looked over and saw that {he} had begun to rock back and forth, his eyes closed. It was something he did when things were too much: too loud, too harsh or hard or painful. The world was extra intense for {him}, {they} had always said. It was as if his ears could hear more clearly, his eyes see more, and sometimes it was too much for him. He needed to cover noise, to feel something in his hand to distract him. He needed to rock back and forth to soothe himself. Everyone processed stress in a different way, {they} had said. This was {his}, and it hurt nobody.

— The Dark Artifices: Lady Midnight