Normally, Mina would immediately have responded with some witty banter to the same tune. But she had changed quite a bit lately. It was all Dr. Brown's fault, she supposed. His existence had made her doubt everything; herself, the nature of her calling to the Valkyrien Amazons, and of course, her disaster of a marriage. But there was no room for Tom at the bar. So once again, she pushed him out of her thoughts.

"I suppose that depends," she replied, "on the nature of any particular relationship."