Sonia wants to believe him, is the thing. She really wants every ounce of this small bubble between her and Byerly to be true. But all this talk of other worlds... It's true that his claim to be from Vorbarr Sultana, at least any time recently -- although he is rather older than her -- is a little iffy, but....

She bites her lip at this fantasy he's painting for her -- Cetagandan has no hold on my version of that place. The thought is almost too painful to entertain, for how much she wants it. She blinks rapidly for a moment, her face wary, gunshy, but she hovers on the edge. "It sounds like you're trying to sell me a fairy tale," she says accusingly, but her voice is smaller.