And back to perplexed he goes - not only at that story, nor the 'audacity' of being spoken to 'that way' - but certainly of being spoken to that way.

That way being casually and seemingly comfortably.

He quite sincerely has not the first idea what to do with that. Particularly not with palpable shadows around him and his eyes doing that specific thing that they continue to do, now mostly just because he started.

"Help from somewhere," Or one, "would be the obvious answer." IMmediate answer, anyway. After this long? Less likely.