[ with the server, shou is polite and well-spoken as he orders the two seasonal parfaits, waiting for them to leave again for his gaze to become somewhat sharper, as if there is a part of him that drifts in and out of his demeanor like a shadow. ]

Your version... [ he repeats, finding the words odd but plausible. ] Indeed, it does seem that those of us who are brought here remember different versions of our homes.

[ but his attention routes elsewhere. ]

A gang?