[The admission earns a thoughtful glance. Brook rolls that new context around in his head for a moment like a marble or a hard candy. In the meantime, they walk perfectly in step, his footfalls silent, Jay's ringing.

Okay.]

My last boss told me not to go out in public without a mask for similar reasons. Most of the Red Spades wore masks on duty, but... well, I guess I was always on duty. And it was better for her if I was a secret weapon.

['Huh? You're sending your kid after me?'

He got reactions like that a lot.]

You're your own boss, though, right? So it matters more if you get found out. It'd be a problem for the whole operation.