“Well, Battlestar may not be real,” says Fantine sagely, “but it’s true.”

“It’s fiction, right?” says Laetitia.

“Only in the sense that–”

“Are you spiritual but not religious too?” Laetitia snaps. “What you’re parroting there is a cliché: conversational shorthand for fiction that resonates with your perception of current events. But fiction is by definition both imaginary and false. What are the opposites of those, Fantine?”

“Do real people make speeches like that, Laetitia?” says Fantine.

Laetitia bites her finger.

“Do real people care that much about clichés?”

Laetitia backspaces over the last couple paragraphs and goes looking for the Advil.