[That's the first time Petre's missed one of his lies, if he really believes that's what John did. In truth, he'll never forget the first and, so far, only person who looked at a sad, angry, volatile boy and tried to find a way to help instead of laughing or writing him off. The first person who showed her own strange sort of caring.

It would've gone wrong if they'd met again. But He hasn't let her go.]

You think she's alive? You're a bigger optimist than me. [And there's a tiny little twist in his voice at last, but he quickly hops onto Petre's story to escape from his own.]

Everyone's just a test subject for you, huh. Not that a random pervert in a bar deserves any better, but still.