It should perhaps raise a small alarm for him, a chiding reminder in their handler’s voice: Stay in-character. Stay in the voice until it becomes yours, until your accent’s perfect even when inebriated, until you dream in English. Don’t risk breaking character.

But Jon finds that he likes the sound of the Widow’s real voice. It’s warmer, a little deeper in a way which doesn’t fit the high lilting accent of the American suburban housewife; like this, she always sounds a little looser, a bit less stilted and affected and practiced. Like him with his English in general.

“Appreciate it,” he says after a moment, quiet, tilting his head to look back at her over his shoulder. He doesn’t need to thank her — it’s her job — but he has noticed how she’s moving slower, more careful to not jostle him, to not cause any extra undue pain in the treatment. Not all of the agents would have bothered. In the past, some of them hadn’t.