"Oh, my dear," I say, quite automatically. I feel very sad for him. I can't give him that world, and I certainly can't be with him now. But he looks horribly lonely, and very very young. I put my hand on his shoulder and squeeze, and only then do I think about the old Tez and wonder: could he be manipulating me? That old Tez was a good liar. But... I've watched a lot of men play poker, and I don't think he's playing me.

"Maybe," I say, "you can have something like that again. I'm sure there are people in town you could... care about. It might be more complicated than before, when you didn't remember all of who you are, but even so. You have the capacity to feel like that about - just a regular person," which is an awkward way to talk about myself, "so you have a choice, I think. I mean, aside from the tower."