( There’s ambient noises in the background as he answers: the occasional rush of wind, the distant sounds of the harbour. The doctor’s out for a walk? A constitutional? Something. )

Crystal’s fine, I think, unless you’d particularly prefer to meet in-person yourself— I like to multi-task. Besides, this makes it a little easier to play back the recording and take notes later if I need to.

So. The End of Time? ( A beat, then, ) That sounds bad.