"Go for a run," Vlad suggested, as Janis continued rubbing her face against Hawk's chest. "Sleep in, eat everything you didn't get to eat while you were shut away. You want some volunteer work? A job? I can help you find that.

"It's been a long, bad road for you, hasn't it?" he added, and as he did, Hawk leaned back, a series of memories all smudged together in oversaturated colors in his mind's eye. "Give yourself a break, hon. The big picture stuff will shake out later."

Vlad pulled the hood of his jacket closer to his neck and went to the door that led outside. It creaked as he opened it, and then he paused.

"But seriously," he added. "You will be okay, someday. It might be another long, shitty, bumpy road. But you will be okay." He turned and flashed Hawk a smile. "Just don't quit."

With that, he stepped out into the dusk, letting the door click shut behind him. He walked off a bit, out of the light from the patio. A pale long-necked creature was crouching over a garden bed, prodding at the soil in the near-darkness; they waved at Vlad, who, after lighting his cigarette, waved back.