Her lips show the beginnings of a smile and if the small vibration of her shoulders is of indication Eli is laughing; it isn't the conniving, astute laughter one might come to expect of her, but distant, the paper-thin eyelids closing as his remark transports her back in time.

He recounts their history with the night birds as a perfectly encapsulated memory, brief yet reconstructed in minute detail down to the consonant pace of their breathing. Despite, or perhaps because his existence is nothing if not eventful it is the simplest and most peaceful of moments that left an indelible mark on the man.

"Shh. I know."

She raises a feeble looking wrist, places the tip of her forefinger against his jaw.

"You don't have to ..." she says. "You've sacrificed everything to Cause — your body, mind, time. But there's always a war, Venom."

She rights herself and takes his hand in her hands, fixing her eyes on his lone iris.

"Leave," she says. "Just ... leave. Come with me, we'll find a home someplace by the sea. You could work with animals. We'll watch the birds every night."

Her fingers close around his and Eli looks at the old soldier encouragingly.