[For a very long moment all she has the capacity to do is blink at him, startled into silence by something she hardly expected to hear come out of his mouth at all, let alone with sincerity. Evelyn has never taken the power of others for granted and yes, sometimes she does forget.

Beneath the personable exterior and a mind that knows her very well, it is what he does, but here he doesn't have to. Perhaps a fear of indolence is what causes him to act.]

I understand...that you are frustrated. [A brief instant, and she almost feels as though she is talking to herself. Herself, alone, and upset, and vilified.

In control, she is quiet.]

And I understand that your position is - unlike so many of us - not a helpless one. This is not Hell. For some- for me, this is all there is.