Because now that they have been removed from the brink of the thing and there is no open portal before them connecting directly to it, the roar of it has been reduced to something tinny. The remnant of a loud noise buzzing softly in the ear, and he needs to know if—

Something in Ralston's dark eyes flickers. The lines in his face subtly shut. A bolt of temper is what's left over. Two days is long enough for the fear that he won't be able to return to that other place like the rest to metastasize into anger.

"Is it constant? At what force? Have you noticed any points where you feel it more strongly? These seem like reasonable questions if you mean to work out how to return there."