She accepted the ribbon hesitantly, as though she were reaching through some sort of thick jelly. She stared at it, running it through her fingers - a tangible reminder that here, time was fluid.

His next brisk sentences startled her. "I... I'm not sure how much I really need to know.. I don't need to know the details of every person you killed... I guess I just... want to know why. I'm sure there were reasons. But were any of them ... good... ones...?"