Jude was perking up; Kieran's muscles relaxed, and he leaned against the bar, feeling more happy by the minute. "It almost feels as if it was too easy," he admitted, because Jude's small smile meant that he could amid things again. "Like — without bodies on the line, without jail time on the table with people they think matter, they took the middle path."

They both knew that progress could be slow. But was it still enough?