"Then you want to camp out here by yourself?" Not that he really has room to talk, when here he is doing the exact same thing. But he's been emancipated for years, he tells himself.

He sighs. Maybe he's making too many assumptions, and he should really try to learn more, but that requires a delicate touch. Something he doesn't excel in.

"I know. I have someone waiting for me too, and I'm worried about him. But you have time to think about it. Unfortunately, the operation studying the holes looks like it's going to take a long time to get us any usable results. But if you ever wanted to try a different way to live? A much more humid, salty, and slobber-filled way to live?"

That would be Goomy drooling on his pant leg. He picks her up, gives her a Look, but pets her obligingly.

"This could be it."