His fingers unwind as he says, "Someday a rifter will say no, this is magnificent! Compared to my world yours is so advanced! You have a machine to make books? And your towers are so tall! But," he says, abandoning the slightly distinct tone of this imagined rifter, "I appreciate the honesty."

He slides off his seat on the table to begin tidying up what he can. Shovels propped up against the wall, some odd pieces of debris that are scattered around added to the pile of ash that needs to be removed.

"Did you work together there, too?"