But Scorpius, who for all his shamelessness cannot forget how close he has come to the extinction of his universe, shakes his head. His breath quivers, seems to clench in his chest. "Why though?" he asks hoarsely. "You don't want to talk to me - and you seem to think I don't want to talk to you. But... you wanted to make the transition easier for me, remember? What happened to that?"