I know that, Adele. It's why I'm not upset for their sake. They've all gone back to living the adventure, while Fujiko and I are still stuck here. Once we're out, we'll forget...

But it's hard.

[Their absence wrecked his ability to play chessmaster in the enclosure, since he lacked both of his rooks and one of his knights, took away his bouncing board, and destroyed his ability to keep grounded. Back home he would have gone on a drinking binge and maxed out three credit cards on an empty-headed sorority girl. That tactic wasn't an option in Luceti.

He had accepted that he wasn't returning home anytime soon. That was another part of why he determined that he needed to get stronger.]

Adele, I--

[He didn't know what to say to her offer, didn't know even how to begin accepting it. Everything operated under a quid pro quo back at home. 'Aid me and I'll aid you.' It was simple, and the only way to get by if a person chose to live outside of the law. Accepting something offered without deals, without strings, was hard.

He wanted to know if there was a catch, but her eyes told him that there was none.

How was he supposed to accept this?]