He let her words sink in as he took a sip of his tea. It was a minute or two before Koios spoke again, and when he did, he sounded emotionless. It suited him, he thought bitterly.

"But you don't think it will happen," he finished. He sighed and sat heavily on the couch. "That's great. I don't know why the kid couldn't have just told me that in the first place." He gulped down a mouthful of tea, shaking his head in an impression of frustration. "It's just annoying, y'know? Being able to remember this stuff, but not being able to actually feel it. There's just nothing there, and all I can do is try to be who I was, but I'm just some kind of shadow. And there's only so many people I can talk to about it, since people like me aren't exactly regarded as heroes. Hell, if I told anyone here, they'd probably come after me with torches and pitchforks, after what that Xigbar guy did way back when."

This was pointless, he thought. He never should have asked her to come. The risks far outweighed the benefits of the situation, and all he got out of it was the belief that he wouldn't get anywhere with this. Fan-fucking-tastic.