[ He always gives weight to her questions, gives them real thought when they're serious, but this...

It's a long moment before he answers, and he's still not even sure he has an answer. ]

I don't know. Maybe.

[ Is that a dream he could brush off and bring back up into the light? He'd buried it so deeply inside himself, he's not sure he can even find it anymore. But that doesn't mean it's gone. ]

But, you know... Sophie. And it isn't like I've spent much time in the last few years trying to meet people who weren't coming on the expedition.

[ He glances sidelong at her, mouth tugging into a rueful curve. ]

And I think you might be overestimating the effect of the Lumina Converter on women.