Naoe considered Alex for a moment, face growing serious. "Sometimes, it's better to be alone," he pointed out. "At least now none of your friends are subjected to this place."

He was trying to make Alex feel a little better about being alone but he knew that if Takaya wasn't here he would spend a lot of his time wishing that he was, for many reasons.

He smiled slightly again. "I'll be happy to consider you my ally," he said. "If you don't mind." They didn't have to be friends but if they both had strengths they could benefit from working together.