[Mary pushes the bottle aside, not quite out of reach but out of mind for the moment. Sighing, she takes a seat next to him and clasps her fingers with her chin resting on them.]

I'm afraid I don't know. And I don't disagree with you either. It seems like every time we make some progress we get kicked back down the ropes. At least we can take some happiness that not all of the newcomers were lost to us.

[She can't say whether or not those who wound up as crystal statues could be considered lucky though, given all else they had been told and observed as of late.]