Half of Walter's explanations are backed up with real-time citations - double-timing with looking at webspace, ironically enough, helps his eyes wander less and reduces the chance of Russell's sister coming back and trying to flirt with him - but the other half remains speculation.

Those snippets of conversation do not escape his notice, however, and he devotes extra milliseconds towards reviewing his memories of the conversation.

"'Another' sounds like the right word," he says, nodding for emphasis.

"Do you think they'd mind us hopping over? They are off-duty."

In other circumstances he might have been able to suppress his curiosity - but it's not his main focus just now, and that costs him precious self-awareness.