Narration(Kore): Hypnotic equilibrium. It feels like the rest of my life will descend into this swirl of white noise.

Narration(Kore): The key concept of ‘without Vespasian Xander’ dominates the future. Feels black, and a bit empty.

Narration(Kore): I could always adopt some new hobby to fill the endless hours.

Narration(Kore): Marlin fishing, for example. I could work on my golf game to an unhealthy extent.

Narration(Kore): Tennis— foxhunting— I could go fight in some remote country’s bloody civil war…

Narration(Kore):…historically a reasonable profession when reevaluating one’s life choices after being jilted. There’s never a shortage of civil wars.

Narration(Kore): The issue of telepathy I the outside world now… I can’t even comprehend it. I’d ask Ves to take it away if it wasn’t so damned useful.

Narration(Kore): Would people suffer that visceral dislike of me that they do for Ves on Eynhallow? Can’t have that. I need to be accessible and likable as CIQ Verde’s chief salesman.

Narration(Kore): Likable. I never was, was I? Just a business machine. People pitied me because it was so obvious I had no soul.

Narration(Kore): There’s a difference between winning a million dollars and winning a billion dollars.

Most people can easily dispose of a million dollars.

Narration(Kore): A billion? It takes a small company just to manage even the number of accounts.

Narration(Kore): Handling interest generated takes a serious technical staff. Investing in anything, sound, marginal or dodgy takes a great deal of time and effort. Managing telepathy will take a similar amount of labor as managing my personal fortune does.

Narration(Kore): With one exception: I’m on my own with this one. If it had been the simple ability to catch a stray thought here and there, know what someone was planning in a moment of crisis— well that would have been winning a million dollars on the ponies. The scale is different to comprehend.

Narration(Kore):If only he’d just agreed. But he hadn’t. What sort of thing was it, to love a man who did not love you in return?

Marozi: Kore!