Blue regarded the response and the mood it came wrapped in quietly for a time, watching reflections of it play out on Gil's face and posture, some subtle, others obvious. In that quiet, he glided his fingers down the middle of the book to smooth out the pages, keep it open to that spot when his hand was moved away.

"Length of time hardly matters," Blue said at last, "when one's been taken unwillingly from what one knew for so long. The transition can be as unwanted as it is difficult."