[ kaveh's smile softens around its edges. it had been like this for don, he thinks, to have to confront the care of others in a way that made sense to her. it had been like this for daan, to see what he has earned and taken back for himself despite what he had gone through. kaveh can only guess at what vergilius has been through himself. even his guesses would be wrong. but the aftermath is something that vergilius is living through, and kaveh knows that well - the arduous journey of being allowed things when so little ought to be.

he breathes out. ]

Well, it ought to be a struggle. Struggling is how we make sense of the world. If everything is always clear, then it comes too easily, and I think we should always be a little suspicious when decisions come too easily, because it means we might've missed something. You struggle for Daan because you've chosen to; just the fact that you are means something.

[ kaveh looks. ] You love him, right?