[ Jaime doesn't move, neither to step away from her, nor to step towards her. He's spent so much time trying to understand her, trying to see things from her perspective, trying to understand what exactly the City was like and how it affected people, but now he's just trying to understand what the heck happened. It's easy to remove himself from the picture when discussing his own mortality, even that of his alternate selves, but Khaji... the thought of him going through undue suffering pains him. He's already suffered so much in what is, essentially, an incredibly short life. Khaji takes care of Jaime, but Jaime takes care of Khaji too. The thought of Jaime dying and leaving Khaji to rot in his own grief, to be taken out by another is unthinkable.

He's supposed to die, and Khaji's supposed to choose the next Blue Beetle. That's how it works. ]

Khaji doesn't care about people's ages, [ Jaime says, quietly. ] He doesn't get it. He's not - he's not like us.

[ Sometimes, Jaime thinks Khaji still doesn't quite grasp that Jaime will die one day, and that he will be on his own. He's tried to talk to him about it before, the idea that one day, no matter what Khaji does, he will die. If his is not a violent death, he will just get old.

But Khaji is ancient. He's existed since before the pyramids were built. The idea of a violent death he can prevent is something he can grasp, but mortal lives remain beyond him. If Khaji did not ask Ruka for help, it's because he didn't think her capable, or he didn't want it.

His Khaji, anyway. How different could they be? ]

Did you kill him to free the Negotiator, or - or did you kill him because you wanted your friend back?