[ matthew 27:46... he can pinpoint right about where that would be. he might not understand german, but he understands what anna is getting at. and to that, all he has to say is: ]

Of course it is. Someone needs to be left out because that's the kind of world He made. [ he keeps his face carefully neutral, biting his cheek to not frown. ] It's easy to talk about how Jesus fixed everything. "He died for your sins, and now you're forgiven, and all you have to do is believe!" But that changes every time you ask. Believe, or repent, or be punished appropriately, or pay your indulgences. All that matters is what the other two want you to do, right?

[ his grip on the cigarette tightens, for just a moment; he taps it, letting the gray ash off the end. it's surprisingly sexy, for a newbie. ]

You're asking if someone would create a world like this. Like you think it's an accident, or a mistake. [ a longer drag, longer than he's been going. this time, he holds it in, closing his eyes and tilting his head back as he blows it into the air. ] But that's the whole point. God's perfect, remember? This is what he wanted. This is God's perfect world. It's reality on purpose. And if you disagree, that just makes you the third wheel.