He shook his head just slightly. "They kind of keep me from wandering off. Kal... insisted on being friends with me after we busted some thieves at a mission. I figured I'd go to his place, shower, shave, and go, but next thing I knew, I was moving in. N'other words, about like us."

Except for once, he wasn't the one with the girlfriend. He wasn't the one with the unwavering confidence. He was the one who kept his ties a little loose even now so that if he needed to slip them, he could.

"He reminds me of you sometimes. When I remember things."