It was a self-deprecating smile, small and tired, the smile of someone who had been running for a very long time.
"How likely is it," he said quietly, "that leaving this world would help? It doesn't matter where I go. He follows me. He's always followed me. And the system's eyes follow 'him'." He shook his head slowly. "I don't even know what to do anymore. All I do is run, and all he does is chase. Run and chase, run and chase. That's our routine. That's been our routine for—"
He stopped himself.
"A long time," he finished.
Heena studied him. "Your mission here is complete, right?"
He nodded slowly.
Heena held his gaze. "And you didn't leave this world because of him. Didn't you?"
Estov opened his mouth, closed it.
Then, after a long pause, he said quietly, "He's… quite cute. And I wanted to spend some time with him."
Heena stared.
