[ He's aware of all the unsavory things that go on here, the death-and-revival that some people have grown to find... not trivial, but normalized. His expression twists with her mention of the subject, but that's hardly her fault— best to move right along. ]

That's...

[ Thin fingers twist in the fabric of his pants, as if he's scavenging for the right words to say here. ]

...Good. That's good. [ Repeated, just to convince himself. He tries for a weak smile. ] It's good to start somewhere, right? I'm glad everyone's working together.

[ Every cloud, silver lining, etc. ]

Are... are the credits still working? Because it looks like I still got some when I arrived, so— if I can pool my resources for everyone, please let me do that.