"It is now." Impossible, again, to say whether this man is lying. Being new to this place explains a great many things that would otherwise be suspicious, and unfortunately it's as likely as something worse. He feels a brief pang in his chest, suddenly, for his life before: with his orders and his uniform tight around him, should had always been a waste of time. For better or worse, his orders had always been clear.

There's no time to notice the thought, or decide how he feels about it. The safety of the house behind him and the man inside it is up to Raju's judgement, no matter whether or not he wants it to be.

"You don't know? Just how 'recently' did you get here?"