( It's not even that he's rebuking the conversation; it's interesting, it feels more philosophical than like tangible problem solving. They're not digging into logistics desperately searching for a real answer, not chasing a solution, not putting themselves on a timeline and injecting any sense of urgency. Not bitterly fighting to be heard without being misconstrued to an audience of their peers. Melancholy as parts of it might be, even being this far removed from their daily oppressing problems is an improvement.

This is good, is what he means. Right now, what they're doing, it's good. Judging by Nate's answer, it seems like he's been largely successful.

He puffs out a breath of a laugh around lost my wallet — in part because that's one of those ancient previous-life normal problems he's actually forgotten about entirely. When you don't carry pictures of anyone you love, there's absolutely no reason to carry a wallet through the apocalypse.

His eyes peel away from what he's officially dubbing "the existential crisis hole" to instead fix Nate with a distinctly, deliberately (for him, anyway; Ian the Ever Mild) playful look. )

Yeah, make sure you thank whoever painted that shirt on for you, by the way. Hope you tipped 'em, the economy's rough right now.