"Three, actually," Linden says with a one-shouldered shrug. "I've been really restless lately, you'll have to try to forgive it, if you can."

For someone so brittle and frail-looking, Linden is actually quite a resilient individual, it would appear. Even if his soul was broken, the rest of him is still present and determined and selectively sharp.

"You know, despite the two of us working for so many years in the Capitol... I don't think we've ever actually talked."

Spoken, yes. Talked, no, not like this.

"I'm glad to have had the chance."