"I didn't think you talked to people in the Metaverse." "I do if I want to get through to someone in a hurry," she says. "And I'll always talk to you." "Why me?" "You know. Because of us. Remember? Because of our relationship -- when I was writing this thing -- you and I are the only two people who can ever have an honest conversation in the Metaverse." "You're just the same mystical crank you always were," he says, smiling so as to make this a charming statement. "You can't imagine how mystical and cranky l am now, Hiro." "How mystical and cranky are you?"