[To which Will remains the same as before; perhaps it will drive his point across harder, if he makes the final stand without much additional emphasis. Whispers have far more power and influence than shouting any day.]

What you suggest, this supplication of ourselves, is not the right appeal. If there is any chance that a single mind can be changed, getting on knees—literally or metaphorically—and showing off our good behavior like we're nothing more than well-trained pets is not going to be the ticket.

[People still kick dogs, after all. Still abandon them on the side of the road. Still get rid of them when they're no longer cute and fluffy. But that's not the real point here, no. It's something much more insidious and horrifying she's just said.]

Nor is blaming us for what they've done. Their actions are their own, Kitty Jones. My wife? She's never done anything to push these desperate measures. I would imagine that's the case for many others she's currently with, sharing a bucket as a toilet. You want to blame anyone for this, you put that blame where it belongs. Otherwise, you cross a line. And once you cross that line, you can't go back.