Ought I chop off the last half of that and take it as a "No"?

[But what did he expect? This one's a tough nut. And a bit of a delusional one too. He was lucid enough for three seconds on arrival, just enough to see him haul after Claude and Taair in their mara-struck forms while spewing blood like a lawn sprinkler.

Richie pulls a drag on the smoke and blows the grey wisps out in a thin stream, shrugging easy. It's no skin off his back, but still. In spite of it all he's got a spot of affection for the guy — a wary, distanced one, but an investment nonetheless. Same as the rest of the crew. If they aren't going into this at least somewhat together, what are the odds they're going to beat what's coming?]

If it please you, Mizu. Just think on it a while. Two heads are better than one.