"Two months today," she agrees, a little hesitantly even having worked it out along the way. Has it really been so long? So much has happened, but with the way the days work and the strange lighting, she's not really thought much about it.

"Here, this is the third sleeping carriage, and your room is the fourth door along." She makes sure she leads him along the raised bumps on the floor that seem to indicate whenever you're standing next to a door. "The first door is a room with showers - they're really good! You stand under a spout, and it pours warm water over you, it's really comfortable."

And then they've reached the door to 3-B, and her momentary enthusiasm is banked as she looks at him again. Has she been dominating the conversation to avoid having to talk about anything important? Maybe. She hopes she's ready for this. "Ah, touch it to the door, on the metal plate. Your ticket."