[Not long, then. Lately people leaving and arriving has been a rollercoaster. Asch sighs deeply, something in him deflating slowly like a balloon with a pinhole in it.]

There's been so few new arrivals the last few months, I wasn't sure if anyone would turn up at all. There's probably only a hundred people here now.

[So he hadn't really dared to hope; at this point, he's convinced that once someone is gone, they're gone.

But here's Narukami, and Asch can't say he's upset by being proven wrong. He brushes back some of his hair; the hairpins are sitting on his bedside table, so it's all too easy for it to fall in his face.]

You might as well come in. I'll tell you what I can, but you missed a lot and I'm not sure how long I'll be able to stay awake.