Gene's standoffishness has not only been everyone's imagination. Aloof at the best of times, he's become frankly terse during the course of his time spent in Atoce, and he's taking Pepper's jibes with worse humor than usual.

He's mollified - a little - by the peck on the cheek.

"Yeah," he says, looking out over the magnificent vista. Hey, it's hard to be cynical with a view like that.

"So this is life atop the wall."