Arla liked Sordid Pasts. Sure, she handled that kind of information awkwardly, but it made her feel better about herself. "Clever misdirection," she said. "Saw what you did there." She tapped the side of her nose. "I'm pretty smart, they say." Still, she didn't push him, not wanting to seem too nosy. If he didn't want to talk about why his life sucked, that was fine by her.

"You said you got back late because you took one of your Chicago Morlocks back out there..?"