"And you seemed like such a nice girl," he murmurs, and for the first time in days he actually feels a little better. Because she gets it, he can see now, looking at her. Maybe it's just because the world she's from seems every bit as fucked as the Realm was. Maybe not. Who can say.

"I'm sorry," he adds. "I never had to kill anyone I loved. But I always figured I might someday. Guess I got lucky." And the last word is biting, bitter, but he's also starting to see how in some ways, it's true.

Neil's here. Tom isn't, but it's something.