You’ll excuse me if I’m not convinced by your supposed altruism. - Jasper Fforde

"Last season we had the Reduced Shakespeare Company doing 'Highlights of the Mostly Complete History of Condensing Stuff (abridged)'."

I could almost see common sense and denial fighting away at each other within her. In the end, denial won, as it so often does.

"Passing through?"
"Yes; here to meet with Moody."
"You'll get more sense from lichen. What's with your head?"
Unlike talking to The Notable Goodnight, where I needed to be polite, this was an answer I could have fun with.
"It's the final stages of an excruciatingly painful and incurable genital wasting disease. Luckily, it's only spread by skin contact. Sorry, I should've said that before I shook your hand. Remiss of me – apologies."
Shamanic Bob smiled.
"Fair enough," he said. "I think I deserved that."
"Yes, I think you did."