They walked in the direction of the residential district without either of them making it into a formal decision, the way people walk together when the destination is understood and the journey is the thing with space in it.
"Apollo talks about you differently from how he talks about most people," Cassius said, after half a block. "It seems like you really are his good friend..."
"Even though back then when we first met... I hadn't talked that much to you."
Rex waited.
"He talks about most people like they're pieces of a situation he's navigating," Cassius said. "He's a good person, and I'm not saying otherwise."
"But... he has been the center of his own story long enough that people become scenery without him noticing." He glanced at Rex. "He doesn't do that with you."
"He talks about you like you're someone he's trying to understand."
"He probably should," Rex said.
