"'Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings, nor in the future shall any of us cease to be,'" Steven murmurs softly. He could have rambled on about a soul isn't a thing that gets created or destroyed, or at least that's what they tell good little Jewish boys, but he goes the Bhagavad Gita route instead. That way he hopes those words bring her some comfort without coming across too preachy.

"Pearl or no pearl, we're all connected. And we'll all endure. I'm sure of it." Maybe she won't see Hector again, the way he was, the way she remembered him. Maybe Hector is all just-- code. She's so much more to Steven than just code though. He'd like to think there's a happily ever after, even for code.

"It's England. As rubbish as it's always been. Somehow feels a bit-- worse than usual, these days. But I'll tell you everything you'd like to know," he promises.