The chill of mid-winter bit at Asada Shino's pale face. But, she didn't mind.
It was late noon on the 28th of December, the last Sunday of the year. She must have been a sight: the petite young girl wrapped up in her taupe coat and boots, fists shoved into pockets, her shoulders hunched forward like some detective out of a noir film as she made the long trek back to her apartment in Yushima.
Alone.
"Hah…" The thought drew something of a melancholic smirk out of Shino, despite herself.
She knew she didn't have any reason to pity herself.
She wasn't being bullied any more. Hadn't had a night terror in weeks. Wasn't lonely. Wasn't the walking ball of anxieties she once knew, constantly afraid of what lurked around the corner.
Hell, she'd just left a party at the cafe in Okachimachi where she'd hung out with some of the closest friends she had made in years. A party that, in fact, might not have even happened at all if not for her contribution to the team.
…Okay, perhaps that was an exaggeration, Shino thought to herself. But she had played her part in that fight, and done damned well at it—and of that, she could be certain.
By all accounts, Shino had every right to be feeling proud of herself.
So why, then, was she struck by this discomforting feeling in her gut that she could not put a name to?
She shivered as a strong gust of wind blew in from the west. It tousled her naturally unruly black hair, depositing a few more ample droplets of water on the lens of her glasses.
Tilting her head to let the water drip off and onto the already-damp collar of her coat, it occurred to Shino that not so very long ago, it wasn't strange for her to see a very similar look, staring back at her from the mirror.
She stopped at the crosswalk and waited for the light. There weren't any cars in the lanes, but she waited anyway.
Patiently and impatiently waiting at the corner, she wrung her hands inside her coat pockets, trying to restore some feeling to them as the winter cold threatened to swallow the city whole in its icy maw.
Shino never liked Tokyo. Most of the time it was noisy, there were way too many people in her opinion, the water tasted like metal, and the only thing "green" out here aside from the odd tree or bush was the paint on the signs hanging above her head, being knocked about by the violent wind gusts.
Out here it was all skyscrapers, concrete, and brick. And nearly all of it in the same dull shades of gray and red.
And looking out at the misty snow-damp world that was Tokyo, all the trees dead and the "cheerful" christmas lights whited-out in the snowfall, Shino could scarcely have felt more isolated now, than if she were…
—Than if she were: what?
Shino shook her head, as if to rid herself of the thoughts.
She tapped her finger against the side of her leg. Tired, maybe a little impatient. As outwardly calm as Shino tended to be, perhaps her greatest weakness of all was that more things were left unsaid around her than she cared to admit…
Shino came up on Okachimachi Station, a short distance away from her home. The weather had barely slowed the foot traffic; a steady stream of tourists, couples, and business people were still filtering through, weather be damned. Some of them carried bags, armfuls of them; last-minute shopping for the holiday she guessed.
Among the stream of adults and teenagers making the most of their vacation, however, there was one figure among them that caught Shino's eye.
Shino wasn't sure what about them drew her attention.
Maybe it was that bright orange sweater they wore, distinct against the winter backdrop. Like a spot of color against a blank canvas.
Maybe it was how fluidly they were weaving their way through the crowd, despite having their face buried in their phone screen.
Or maybe it was the extremely rapid pace they were keeping, which was somehow even faster than the nervous salarymen around them?
Whatever the case might've been—Shino's eyes were already on them when they slipped on the winter-slick road.
"Ah—!"
It was like watching drama in motion.
There was a yelp. Their feet stopped touching the ground. And finally, the awful thud of a body hitting the ground.
Shino didn't even think. She was already hurrying over.
"Are you all right?" She asked and stretched out her hand for them to take.
The thing that struck Shino at first about the girl—she knew it was a girl, now—was her appearance.
She was a "gal." Or at least, this person had the general outline of one. Her hair was a shock of blonde. Dyed, obviously. But also messy, unkempt. With rogue strands sticking out here and there. No hair accessories either; not even a hair clip. Her eyes were sharp, hazelnut in color, bright from within the darkness of her hood, and highlighted only by the dark, tired bags that ringed them. Her lips were pale and chapped. Her cheeks were a fierce, rosy red, and if she'd had to guess, it was more from the cold than from blush.
The stranger looked at the outstretched hand for a second, then at the girl it belonged to, as if confused. Then she reached out and took it.
"…Thanks," she muttered, a little awkwardly. Shino nodded and smiled softly.
"Unn. It's no problem…"
The stranger stood and dusted herself off, or at least as much as someone could after a spill like that. Crushed snow fell off her clothes in clumps, and she shook her hands a few more times to flick the droplets off her fingers.
"Well. If I've got a bruise anywhere, at least I can't feel anythin'…"
She retrieved her phone from the roadway and joined Shino on the sidewalk.
"…Do you…need any help?" Shino asked her. She wasn't quite sure what to do with herself now.
Sure, she'd wanted to help, but it was rare that she actually mustered the courage to act on it.
—But it never hurt to be polite.
The Stranger shot a brief glance toward her. For a second Shino thought she was gonna brush her off, but the Stranger favored Shino with a smile. "Nah, I could be doin' better. Buuuut, I'd say I'm in damn better shape than this poor li'l guy here," she said, and waggled her damaged smartphone in front of her. There was a spider web of cracks, going from one corner of the screen to the other.
She turned back to what she was doing. "Don't pay me any mind; I'm sure you've got somewhere to go, right? Just gonna nurse my wounds for a bit and then I'll be off. Thanks anyway though, Miss."
"U-unn…" Shino said. Again, not knowing what else to say or do.
Well then… Guess that was that? The shy girl supposed it was.
She began to step off, not entirely satisfied with the outcome but consoled by the fact she'd offered a hand. She needed to get home soon, anyway, she decided then; night came early during the winter season. That's what she told herself…
"…"
—Shino would never know why she lingered the way she did.
Perhaps it was curiosity. About the strange girl with the strange accent, in such a hurry to get somewhere in the stark dead of winter.
It might've been simple dissatisfaction at leaving a job unfinished—whatever she thought that "job" was supposed to be.
The Stranger's back was turned away from Shino, but not completely. An odd expression crossed her face for a moment, quite unlike the one she wore a moment ago. She hurriedly unslung her backpack and unzipped the top, then peered inside.
"…Ahh, on second thought," the Stranger said aloud as she reshouldered her backpack, her expression sheepish. Shino stepped in place and turned a bit more to face her, as if she only just caught her attention again.
"—Sorry if I'm bein' a bit of a nuisance here. But, d'ya mind I ask if you know where a girl can find an internet cafe around here? One with VR rentals, by any chance?"
—
Today had been a strange day.
First, she and her friends had held a full-on conversation with an AI based off a Norse goddess and stole King Arthur's sword from an exploding temple glued to the roots under a giant tree like an icicle.
Now she was guiding this weird blonde girl from Osaka she'd only met five minutes ago, to use a VR pod at an internet cafe that she hadn't been to in months.
…At least, Shino was pretty sure her new companion was from Osaka, stealing a glance at the girl's back.
It was hard to miss the dialect.
"Ya know. I wasn't really expectin' to meet someone so friendly this soon after arrivin' in Tokyo," the Stranger said, tilting her head to the side but not quite looking at Shino. "Bein' honest, I was actually kinda expecting most of ya to just pretend I wasn't there, and I'd have to pick my own self up after that. Oh! Not that I mean anything bad about it; ya seem like a pretty well-mannered girl. Folks back home liked to crack jokes about Tokyoites being kinda snobby. I'd thought they were just doin' that whole 'city rivalry' stuff—but man. I'd understand the weather making people a bit grumpy, but the mean looks the older people on the train were givin' me for being on my phone? You'd have thought I'd done something unthinkably rude. Right?"
Shino actually wasn't entirely sure if the Stranger was talking to her, or just venting to herself to fill the air. There'd been a pretty uncomfortable silence between them for a while.
Again, Shino pursed her lips and gave a polite nod, but said nothing. The Stranger stared at Shino for a second longer, then resumed her walk in silence.
She knew she didn't have to have to go so far to help this person. She knew she could've refused. Could've pretended not to know. Pointed her in the direction of a patrolman or the electronics district down the road, and hoped the Stranger figured things out on her own.
It wasn't her damn job to be a tour guide. And besides, Shino thought to herself, as she watched the Stranger's blonde hair sway softly behind her with every step, you could never be too careful…
Shino pursed her lips in a silent grimace.
…But, then again…
Endou was the exception. Not the rule. She had to remind herself of that. Not everyone needed to have an ulterior motive.
Kazuto-san…the others…they'd showed her at the very least that some people weren't naturally malicious.
Still. Old lessons were hard-earned, and rarely been wrong as far as she'd seen. And talking to strangers was still a little…
"Not much for conversation, are ya?"
Shino snapped out of her reverie, then. The girl had glanced back at her, a faint smirk on the edge of her lips.
"No. Not really," Shino admitted with a shrug.
She continued after a beat: "…Sorry, I'm not really used to making small talk. Well, not with strangers, anyway—"
"Hosaka." The girl brought her hand out in front of her. "Hosaka Tomo. My friends call me Tomo. Pleased to meetcha!"
Shino was a bit taken aback by the boldness of this girl. Now it was her turn to blink a bit at Hosaka's outstretched hand.
"…Asada Shino. You can just call me Shino…err, Hosaka-san?"
Hosaka cocked an eyebrow at that. Her smirk widened into an expression of amusement; for whatever reason, Shino felt something slightly dangerous when she saw that grin.
"'Hosaka-san,' hmm?" She hummed to herself. "A bit more formal than I'm used to… But, sure! Let's just go with that, 'Asa-chi'!"
Asa-chi… Okay, that was definitely a new one.
"There—now we're not strangers anymore!" The girl said with a bit too energetic an air for the kind of mildly fatigued expression she wore, "See, wasn't so hard to talk to someone new, eh?"
'I don't think that's how this works,' Shino thought to herself. She was still not quite sure what to make of the "Tomo" joke.
Hosaka-san was a confident one. That much was certain. Not a surprise given her style; you needed a certain impetuousness to dress like that, Shino thought. Though in her experience, those sorts of people were usually more…
Hosaka turned on her heel and continued her walk. Shino followed suit, briefly forgetting she's the one supposed to be doing the leading.
They were following the main road south through Taito. Shino led the way, although Hosaka's pace always meant she was at least a half-step ahead of her guide.
"So…" Shino started to say. Hosaka tilted her head toward her. "Hosaka-san, may I ask why you wanted me to bring you to a VR cafe? They don't seem like they're—" Shino stopped herself mid-sentence, "—like they're worth the cost for what they are…"
Again, that dangerous smirk.
"Arara? Thinkin' just 'cause I look like this, I must be into makeup and karaoke and idols, and none of this geeky mess. Hm?"
Shino was visibly caught off-guard. Not just from having her words twisted like that, but also from how quickly Hosaka had seen right through her.
You're not the only one who knows this game—that look might as well said.
"A-ah! Well, I mean… I-I didn't mean to assume—"
Hosaka laughed and waved Shino off.
"Nihihi~. Don't worry, I'm just havin' fun with ya. Trust me—ya ain't the first to think that of me, and honestly I've personally found it tends to hold true in most other cases anyway. Probably not gonna be the last, neither… Soon as we reach this place."
Shino frowned. "Do you tease all your new friends like this?"
"Only the ones I think I'd like," Hosaka said with a playful smirk.
Despite herself, Shino couldn't help but return the gesture.
Hosaka reminded her, in a way, of Kazuto and his mischievous sense of humor. In that moment, she felt a bit of that spark of camaraderie from earlier in the day returning to her.
…But so, too, did her other thoughts. And her smile fell away just as quickly as it had came.
"E-eh?! Ah shit, I'm sorry; I didn't mean anything bad by it! I just thought a bit of humor would help ease the tension a bit. Although, I guess my sense of humor does tend to be pretty mean-spirited—."
Shino shook her head.
"No, no. It wasn't something you did. It's just…it's complicated, I'm sorry."
Hosaka breathed a sigh of relief.
"Heee~? …Got me worried there for a sec, girl…" Hosaka mused to herself.
"So, «complicated stuff», huh?"
There was a beat.
"Well… Stop me if I push my luck too much, but is it something you'd like to get off your mind, Asada-san?"
For once, Hosaka was looking her directly in the eye.
"…"
Shino said nothing. There—that dangerous look again.
"I assure you. I am unsurpassed in keeping confidences."
Again, Shino held her tongue. Just stared at Hosaka in a silent expression of wariness.
But either she didn't get the message, or—as was more likely the case—she didn't care. And so far, she seemed like the type to not care.
Hosaka turned completely on her heel so that she was facing Shino as she walked, and continued backwards. She leaned forward slightly, hands held behind her back.
Her eyes flickered up and down, from Shino's face, to the drape of her taupe overcoat; down to her boots, then back up to her. As if trying to read past the increasingly suspicious girl's guarded expression.
"Hmmm… Well, you're not dressed for a date… But also too well for an errand… And it's a bit late out for shopping… Friend problems?"
Shino blinked. "E-err…something like that. But, how did you—?"
Hosaka shrugged and leaned back slightly. Her eyes were fixed on her with an unparalleled intensity. "You barely talk. And when you do, your speech pattern is methodical. It's soft-spoken…and carefully paced. Between that and the way you hold yourself, you seem very much a thoughtful sort. Heck, you'd probably be the «cool older sister» type—if everything wasn't underscored by these little nervous habits you have.
"You stutter and pause more when you have to initiate, but you're more comfortable when someone else makes the first move. So not only are you shy, but you're also prone to being self-critical of yourself. Like you feel as if you're expected to perform… Or, maybe you're afraid to say the wrong thing…"
Hosaka kept rattling off, as if what she was saying was obvious… No. More than obvious: it was true.
"—And you don't seem the type to say something rude on purpose… Best guess is: you're new to this friend group. Long-term friends would know where they stand already, but a newcomer? A newcomer would've only just established their role with the rest of the group… So, they'd be worried about messing things up for themselves, especially if they're the type to overthink things… Eheh. Kinda reminds me of someone else I used to know…"
Hosaka's expression became incredibly distant, then. For the second time that day, Shino had the impression that she was looking at a very different person than the headstrong young girl she saw standing in front of her.
But who that person was… Well, unlike her old counselors, Shino wasn't going to pretend to know something she didn't. And Hosaka-san was a bit more on the mark than they ever were.
Then that odd look left her.
The mist cleared from her eyes; her soul returned to her body; she snapped back to reality; a snowflake stung her in the eye—whatever had happened, the next time she blinked, the girl named Hosaka was back in Tokyo.
"Heh…listen to me ramble on like I know what I'm talkin' about. As if a few minutes is all some weirdo like me needs to know what's going on in your head. Hm?" Hosaka murmured, more to herself than to Shino.
The blonde girl shrugged.
"What do I know, right? I'm just some overly friendly stranger, trying to ignore how sore she is from being sat on a train for four hours and falling flat on her ass on wet asphalt. Building an image just so a local can point me where I need to, without thinking I'm trying to scam them." —Hosaka turned on her heel— "Just…forget about it. This was a mistake, I shouldn't have said anything.
"Excuse me." She said.
Without another word more, Hosaka started to hurry off.
"—Tomo-san." Shino said, firmly. And a tad bit brusquely than she intended.
Hosaka Tomo did not turn back around to face Shino. But, she also did not ignore her.
If Shino had any reservations left about interacting with the girl from Osaka, they'd been pushed aside at that moment. She was committed now.
Shino knew that look. That wetness in her eyes. She'd done well to hide the moment behind her usual devil-may-care attitude, however brief. But there was something behind the eyes; a weight that was both familiar to her…and not.
She just didn't know exactly what.
Shino pursed her lips together, trying to find the words. Then:
"…I welcome the advice, Tomo-san. I really do. But…I'd appreciate it if you didn't act so familiar with me. Like you said before, we don't know each other that well."
She saw Hosaka dip her head slightly.
"That being said, however…" Shino added quickly. "…Thanks. Really. I think I needed to hear that from someone."
…
After a moment, Hosaka stepped and turned back around to face her.
"This mean I'm off the hook?" There. The familiar wry smirk.
"This time? …Yes. But a third time and I'm just going to assume you're doing it on purpose."
Hosaka tilted her head. "Hoouuuu~, 'this time,' she says… You're merciless, Asa-chi."
Shino smiled softly. "Funny. My friends said something similar about me today."
Hosaka chuckled, and so did Shino. Heh, guess she had a point about the humor…
There was a stutter of light above them. They glanced up, and the street lamp resolved itself into a steady, off-orange glow.
"Aha. Guess that's our cue…" Hosaka said to herself. Shino noticed she had gone from using Kanto-ben when she'd been analyzing her, back to speaking in her familiar Kansai-ben. "Well, thanks for bearin' on with my ramblin for such a long while. I think I can find my way from here, now."
"Are you sure?" Shino said with a look of concern. "We're nearly there anyway, I could walk with you the rest of the way. And, it's not really safe for girls to walk alone—"
Hosaka held up a hand and shook her head softly.
"Didn't ya just say not to act too familiar with strangers?" The girl smirked, "Who knows what I'm doin' out here, so late at night. Could be delinquent stuff~." Then paused to take out a booklet from her pants pocket. "I can take care of myself, dontcha worry. 'Sides, I already feel guilty enough for burnin' so much of your time as it is."
Hosaka scribbled something down. She tore out a page from the notebook and handed it to Shino.
"Here—my contact info. I've moved in somewhere nearby for school. Maybe you'll see me around later, eh?"
"U-un. Thank you." Shino took the paper from her.
Hosaka's smirk widened slightly. "…It ain't a business card, Asa-chi. You can put it in your pocket. Bit drafty outside, ya know."
"Ah. Right." Shino did so and tucked the paper neatly into her coat pocket.
"So… This is where we part ways, huh?"
Hosaka shrugged. "Depends on you and that paper… C'mon. You're not gonna get all melancholy overthinking this too, eh?
"Tell ya what. You still feelin' lonely tomorrow or ya lose my number, I'll be at the net cafe again tomorrow 'round noon. Hell—bring your friends if it'll make ya feel more comfortable. Nihi, maybe I could sort your lot out too while I'm at it. Wouldn't be my first time listenin to people talk about that kinda thing. Sound good?"
Shino nodded.
"Right…" Hosaka stepped off.
She glanced over her shoulder, and quickly tapped her index and middle fingers together against the side of her head as a casual salute.
"Be seein' ya, Asada-san~."
Shino nodded, and waved slightly to Hosaka as the girl disappeared into the night.
"Yeah… See you later."
—
"Funnn~"
Shino plopped down unceremoniously on her bed with a relieved huff.
By the time she arrived at her apartment, Shino was feeling a little bit better about herself.
Not great…but, better.
Shino dug out the note in her coat pocket. She read the numbers for the first time since Hosaka-san had handed it to her.
"'See you later,' huh…?" Shino dragged her hand down her face and over her mouth. "What were you thinking back there, Shino…?"
As if she'd know. Here she was having anxieties about her friends, and what does she do but add another question mark onto the pile?
'Can I even call someone like that a friend, though?'
Shino stared at a spot on the ceiling as if searching for the answer. She closed her eyes, feeling the tiredness behind them and sighed.
If there was one, she wasn't going to find it like this. Not with as drained as she was right now.
Tomorrow, then. When she'd hopefully had time to process things in her sleep. Or maybe not.
Shino reached over to put the note away. Her hand bumped into something cold and it skidded across the desk with a clatter.
Shino sat up and looked.
Her «AmuSphere».
She took the headset and looked it over in her lap. To think such a small device, barely wider than a dinner plate, could let you experience so much…
She ran her fingers across the visor's smooth glass surface. It was unpleasantly cool to the touch. Though, that never really mattered once she Full Dived: whether it was flying above the territory of the Cait Sith or through the clouds to Aincrad; fighting her way through the deserts of the Salamanders. Or…
…or trekking through the wastelands of GGO.
Shino laughed quietly to herself. It was a laugh of amusement…and, the embarrassed laughter of someone who just learned they'd missed something obvious.
It was like a great veil had been lifted. And it was only now she finally understood.
She didn't belong in ALO. Or that was to say—Sinon did not belong there.
She knew something was off. Even in the beginning when she first joined her friends in ALO. Alfheim's Sinon may not have the reputation that her predecessor had, but she knew how many players were intimidated by her quiet severity. How many times had she heard people make comments—even her friends—on how intensely focused she looked; how so much more aggressive she acted compared to most other players?
But she did not begrudge them for it; such comments were usually made in compliment, anyway.
She loved her friends, and they understood her quiet disposition. But, there was always this inexplicable emotional distance between her and them.
Whenever they went to Aincrad, or talked about stuff from the old SAO…Shino could never help but feel like an outsider looking in. Even Suguha, who had not been trapped in the original SAO like her cousin, had more of a connection to the others than she did.
Just like how they could not completely empathize with Shino's own past, no matter how hard they tried to act the part of the understanding companions.
Hosaka-san was right, if not for the right reasons: she did fear ruining things with her friends. So much so that ALO's Sinon, as similar as she was to her namesake, was still a very different creature from her GGO counterpart.
A friendlier, happier creature, perhaps…but a different one nonetheless. One as disconnected from Shino's trauma as her friends were.
Shino rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She popped the metal disk tray and leafed through her shelf as if looking for a book.
She laid down on her bed.
She knew now. She needed to go back. Back to the place where her journey first began. And wake up the scarf-wrapped sniper who had first shown the courageless girl the strength to stand up on her own.
"Link Start."
[—]
A/N:
(Edit: grouped Argo's description into 1 paragraph. I'd originally second guessed how I wanted to do that part and split it up last-minute.)
No, I don't plan on yuri. Sorry. There'll be friend things, but not yuri. I have romance stuff planned for something else.
I am proud of what I did to make this chapter, but I'm not satisfied with how I wrote this; even way back when I was younger and less skilled. But regardless, I think this chapter has done what I wanted it to.
Within the next one or two weeks I will definitely have a new chapter uploaded. After that point, I am unsure if I can get the remaining one or two drafts in this batch finished expediently.
Some trivia.
This chapter is pretty much virtually unchanged from the final draft, apart from editing some particularly awkward looking dialogue. Reading back, it seems I rendered the Osaka dialect with Argo a lot more clearly here, though still mild. Which isn't a bad thing; Argo's unique verbal style was pretty mild in the LN anyway, being primarily represented only by a nasal inflection at the end of a sentence.
This chapter, specifically the beginning part with Shino alone, was one of two prototype candidates for the intro. Obviously we know which prototype won that contest. Also because I did ONE experiment with achronological order and flashbacks, and decided that was too much of a hassle and too inconsistent with how the rest of the story was structured.
There were two major influences in how I wrote Shino and Tomo here. I remember in tap-trans's translation of an old character Q&A that Reki Kawahara did when SAO was still a web novel, when Sinon was asked what books she was reading, she answered that she was currently reading Le Carre. A spy novelist. I then decided to read John Le Carre's books myself to get a better idea of Shino's reading tastes and temperament, and incorporated bits and pieces of his style into my own, especially when characterizing the two girls. Argo especially—as is obvious by how I portray her technical skill.
As for how I wrote the internal monologue of a loner: I'm just going to say I speak from experience, and leave it at that.
(John Le Carre is a very good novelist, for the record. Definitely recommend him if you want to read some gritty Cold War era spy fiction. Or, possibly, non-fiction, depending on how much of it was drawn from his own experience.)
28th of December, 2025, does indeed fall on a Sunday. I checked. And I made sure it was on a plausible date for the Caliber story, and happens on a date that isn't taken up by a different canonical event.
During the original planning phase, I actually did map out the exact route Shino takes from Agil's cafe in Taito, back to her apartment. I've never stepped foot in Japan, but I still wanted to somehow have a bit more of a touch of authenticity by using the real locations she would've had to go through. I had to use Google Streetview for this, as well as videos on YouTube that Japanese people uploaded of their walks through Tokyo. If I recall correctly, I had her head west from the general location of Taito, went past Akihabara without entering into that region, reached Okachimachi Station, turned south from Okachimachi Station to guide Argo toward Akihabara, then west again on a detoured route to her apartment. Sinon gave her actual address in the LN (sans her exact building), so that helped a lot: "Bunkyo-ku, Yushima, Chome 4."
Technically, this chapter was already completed in 2016-17. However, it…also wasn't. I would write certain parts, not be sure how to transition into the next planned scene, and just skip ahead to the next part I knew for certain how to write. I would then attempt to retroactively "stitch" the scenes together into a coherent whole, occasionally being stopped whenever a new idea for the chapter would come up and I'd have to figure out how to incorporate that too. It isn't elegant, but it's the solution I came up with to avoid writer's block.
Related to this: I actually did upload an unfinished version of this around that time frame, back in 2015 I think? In fact, I'm pretty sure Ryu's Neon Rain still has an author's note somewhere giving my story a shout-out to his readers. Another writer here had pestered me into uploading something and I finally did, very reluctantly; I ended up deleting it a year or so later. IIRC, that version lacked the entire part with Argo's tradecraft monologue, since I hadn't finished reading Le Carre yet for inspiration—along with several other minor differences.