[ He doesn't flinch at the familiar voice. That's only thanks to practice, and the way he refuses to turn and look at her as she joins him on the ledge is as tellingly cool as any obvious tension. ]

Heroically. [ Quiet and curt, finely sarcastic. But that's it for petty criticism, followed by a brief beat of silence before he continues. ]

Virginia Woolf. Critics generally agree it's about the human struggle to capture meaning in art rather than simple imitation, the idea that the true reality is one of feeling.

[ Absent and rote, listing back what he finds relevant. It's the follow-up that's more genuinely engaged. ] The real question, then, is whether or not an actual machine's more efficient.

[ Efficient enough, apparently. They've done a good job tricking most of humanity. ]