Edward indulged in smiling -- authentic smiling, not lips cut with smirks, not an upwards sneer -- for the major minutes of their hours. Lunch had been a delight, and perhaps that should have been evidence enough, perhaps Eddie ought to have kept a keen nose to the ground. Perhaps his guard fell because of familiarity, because of the whimsy inherent to like-minds.

Perhaps, after years of reformation and civil society, he had mistakenly learned how to trust.

"Certainly," he said, taking to rise. "But -- if I may? And this isn't personal, mind, it's always been a question with regards to the annihilation types. What's the point of a doomsday if you aren't around to enjoy it?"

Candid, open questions.