The look on her face is one of pure want-- eyes wide, lips slightly parted, like she's tasting the possibility he describes. It's so potent. What if she, stupid ugly Joan Dority, has the key to the universe?

She can barely believe it, except he does, and he's the smartest person who's ever been willing to talk to her.

She's still not letting this opportunity slip. "Let me go outside," she says. "Just for an hour. On a leash if you want. Please."