"People go on because it is human nature to do so. They.... we... are creatures of some persistence," Long says with his eyes on the unnaturally aquamarine depths of the pool.

He sighs a little to himself, looks up at the girl and offers her a quasi-apologetic smile.

"I am speaking cosmology, philosophy. They are not really relevant in the now. Please, don't be discomfited. What a charming shade your dress is."