"And my colony was safe and well-protected. They didn't need me anymore." Stone can sympathize, giving Ashford's shoulders another squeeze. If he'd died in the middle of one of the conflicts of the past generation, he'd have been pretty upset, too.

He finally thinks he can probably walk on his own, albeit a little unsteadily, so he goes through the door first and makes his way to the kitchen first. "Come on, let's get something to eat, then you can help me totter up to my room like the old man I am."

Maybe in there, someone will get the chance to notice his new reflection; out here, all the windows are boarded up, so there's nothing to reveal it.