Neil was quiet. He was awful good at resigning himself, these days, but this wasn't so bad, after all. A bit of clever maneuvering, more than anything else. Some self-editing. He hated that. But it wasn't the worst.

He made a quiet noise when he suddenly had Mercy Beau's wet nose pressed up against his palm. He hadn't heard him move over from his little bed. But there was the dog, big square head pressed in close like this was exactly what he needed right now. Neil supposed it wasn't bad to have.