Rodney was quiet for a moment after that, picking up a sandwich speared with a toothpick and peeling it apart layer by layer, eating each one in turn.

"I don't know why, but when I first got here, for some reason it never occurred to me that there'd still be crime. I learned the truth pretty fast, but still... I guess supposedly once-fictional people will still be people. Even if they are incredibly difficult."

He gave a half-smile back.

"I try. I confess I've never really been fond of kids, my niece excepted, and even then I didn't meet her til she was four. But somehow they're worming their way into my cold, cynical heart."