"It's not really hope," he said, turning from her to stare forward, at the pod-wall opposite the squishy bench. "It's more like...if it turns out there was a chance I could have done something, and I didn't because I'd given up, I'd never forgive myself. So maybe...it's keeping myself from regretting anything."

Man. Talking to her had really helped get his thoughts in order. Though Kai was still pretty pissed at the situation on the whole, he had a better idea of how he felt about things, and what he wanted to do.

He glanced over sideways at her again. "Name's Kai."