We do still have coffee, though. That’s one positive.

Hey. Forever is a long time.

Pain was a difficult concept to conjure in memory, Hoop had said. Like tasting the best cake ever. Such thoughts only really meant anything when the tasting-or the pain- was happening.

On the way there hoop had talked to him about pain, telling him that it was a fleeting thing, a physical reaction to damage that he knew would do him no harm, and that afterward...

Damn fine ship’s cat you are.

He had found his monsters, and now was the time to leave them behind.