[ Adra catches that flicker, but of course he can't divine what it is, or what it means. To him, it's a subtle crack in the foundation--a good thing--but it's much less than he wants.

But change is hard. It's painful, and it's slow, and it comes with missteps, with backslides and failures. He well understands this. Even so, tears prick at the corner of his eyes. He's just so tired. ]

Will you, now?

[ His voice is rough, still angry. ]

How do you plan to do that? What do you plan to do? Acknowledging the situation is one thing. Making an effort is another.