[ Urgh. More needles in his psyche, more scraping away of eight years' shield. Ken holds onto the realization he's made, stubborn. He's not that little boy. He can do this.

If he's trapped in this world alongside her, he'll have no choice but to persevere, will he. But still, he hates the stiffness he feels in his jaw. The way that, thanks to that hood, he still can't (never did, not in this form) see her eyes. ]

You would have known I was here...if you'd been the one to bring me. So if you were surprised, it wasn't you.

[ There. He got it out. He can't be a good investigator, one who keeps people safe and solves crimes, if he lets this level of harassment get to him! ]

Am I wrong?