So if you think I've lost something, I'm senile, and if I remember something, I'm a creep, [ Claude drawls. It's easier trading barbs like this than it is to consider the memory that had so suddenly flashed into his mind. If he were to think about it for much longer, he knows he'd have an existential crisis. But this? Being accused of being a ne'er-do-well? He can do that. ]

I really can't win, can I? [ He plants a hand on his hip, his free hand tossing back his loose curls. ]

Don't you worry about me knowing your name. I know everyone's names around here. It's a small town. But do you know my name?