Alain considers this for a moment, nodding, tapping ash off his cigarette again. At last, he says quietly, "Then I wish you well of it. People ought to have people by their side. Being alone too long, being closed-off... it does strange things to a person. Leaves scars."

She may be able to pick up on the fact that he's not entirely talking about her any more. Roland has been on his mind a lot lately, and his worry over how his old friend has changed might be spilling out, lubricated by whiskey and melancholy.