[ Matt's gaze snaps to Liem. For a long moment, he's still as he watches him, cautiously poring over Liem's face for any hint of danger. Of course, Matt's not sure "danger" is the right word for what he might face if he says the wrong thing to the wrong Kenoma. Maybe he's overreacting. Still, he can't shake the worry that transparent disagreement with the Regent's methods could be more trouble than it's worth.

Liem, though, doesn't seem the type to tattle. And Matt remembers he's had trouble accepting all this--the death of his world, the necessity of the Kenomas' mission--from the beginning. ]

No, [ he says at last. ]

I mean ... I knew this was gonna be hard. I know these people will have to die eventually. [ He frowns, expression going distant. His hazel eyes, wide and troubled, seem fixed on a point a mile past Liem's head. ] But I don't understand doing it like this. It seems like we're wasting a lot of energy on politics.