Re-l swept up the broken china and dumped it into the bin, then grabbed her cup of tea and ambled over to Gabriel.

"Well, if we have a common goal it makes guessing how you'll respond in various situations that much easier. It clarifies things."

Re-l took a swig of her tea and sighed.

"I know you probably don't want to do this, but we need to talk about what happened to you. There are various things to consider, but let's start with the most basic. How long have you been blind, and do you have any indication that your vision will or won't come back?"