"—goodness, no. What gave you that impression?"

"Are you making fun of me?"

He cracks. "A little bit. But no, nothing like that."

"Then what?"

"I wanted to find out more about you."

"—about me? Why?"

"Call it idle curiosity. But I have a nose for the interesting and this smelled interesting."

"I'm not some circus attraction."

"Join the club."

"...okay that's fair.

"What do you want?"

"What do you want?"

"I asked first."

"My answer depends on yours."

"That's stupid."

"No it's not."

"Oh, thank you, Xander, you're lovely."

"Don't mention it, Z," says Xander, having brought them their food. "Anything to drink? On the house."

"I'll have some water and I think John here will have a whisky?"

"...no. I'm staying sober right now. Water, please."

    "...you? Staying sober?" To Zash: "What miracles are you working?"

"I do what I always do: I show people that the world is made of love and peace."

"Whatever you say. I'll grab your water."

    "Love and peace, is it," says Frank once Xander's gone, sounding somewhere between sceptical and despairing.

"Love and peace!"

"There isn't love and peace," he snaps, starting to get irritated. "You know my story already, don't you?"

"You wanted to make the world more equal. Give power to those who don't have it so they might be able to stand up for themselves, so that all may be the same."

"Fucking stupid philosophy. Well now I'm being equal: helping no one, not even myself. Nothing more equal than that. Zero is the most equal number."