Through so many mental hoops and crippling fear of what it means if being deviant means being alive. "If you insist," he said in a tone that says he still doesn't quite believe him.

"The water is eerily clean. Logically, it makes sense, this world has no need for fuel or much in the way of waste," Connor said. "But it's....odd to see. It's just the dirt that gets kicked up by water currents and wildlife."

"Because there are no shops that sell the identifiers and if I ask someone to make them, they're going to ask why, and it's a roll of the dice on if I'm going to have yet another unpleasant conversation and the odds aren't in my favor."