The tools have been boiling for a while. Alex cleans his hands in a similar way, after peeling off his gloves and rolling his sleeves all the way past his elbows. If it was just him, he could care less. With Neil, it's different.

It's very different when it comes to Neil.

The kid's questions echo now, and Alex considers the fact that he stood on a dirty sand belt day in and day out for over a month, waiting for someone who might not come back. What Alex said was right, in the end, that day in Novac soon before they started heading for the Capital: Alex had it bad. As bad as you could want. This dumbass kid with his daddy issues was starting to own him, body and soul.

It's too much of a distraction, and Alex breathes out, closes his eyes and opens them again. He shifts the items all onto the table stand, in their proper places, and while he does so, starts a running dialogue. "You probably know this shit better than me, but just so we're clear, I'm starting off by opening everything back up. You've got a shitty infection up there--" He points with an elbow, keeping his hands on the tools. "--And it all needs to be cleaned and sealed up right. As for how we're doing that, it depends on how much needs to be fixed."

He pauses, looks down to Neil, not unkindly. "That all sound okay to you?"