He lifts his head and manages a small nod. The topic of his mother doesn't come up often and he certainly doesn't encourage that talk. He won't deny that there was a bit of selfishness involved, a bit of cowardice, a bit of bitterness. But it's nice to have someone on his side for once rather than another addition to the constant reminders that he hadn't really thought everything through when he agreed to live forever.

"Not much I can do about it now, in any case. Well, short of anything wildly stupid and self-destructive." So far he hasn't really seen or felt the need to do so.