"You know, I don't know?" He wriggled into a slightly more comfortable position, Billy's hair tickling his chin as he rested it more firmly against him, thoughtfully. "They called it a 'puppet' and a 'necessary tool' and so on, but it was lying to them and, you know, I'm sure it was on your side?"

He couldn't muster very fond feelings for his created double, but he did, in some recess of his heart, appreciate that it may have kept things from going much, much worse for William than they might otherwise have.

"It assisted me, and they wanted it to keep an eye on you but it kept arguing, didn't it?" He'd caught some of those half-conversations, after all.