"Don't worry." he laughed humourlessly. "Becoming a fellow citizen was never a possibility for me in the first place. I know better than to try it here. But thank you." He smiled at her faintly. Knowing he wasn't alone did make a huge difference.

"Well, if you really don't mind." Despite himself, he was still surprised that Re-L would let him stay in her apartment. It wasn't as though they hadn't been living together all that time on the Rabbit, but that was different. Out in the Waste there was no one else around. But Re-L had been here for two years already. She had a life without him. Though Romdeau was gone and this archaic city couldn't be more different from it, she felt just as out of reach as when he knew her as Inspector Re-L.