"It never is. And no matter how many times that loss is felt, it is always, always difficult." He pushes that aside, puts on the mask again, and focuses on the man in front of him. "You sound as if you have personal experience," he says knowingly. "With New York, with the lack of ease in which some situations can be ... touchy," he says with his fingers wiggling in the air, as if avoiding touching anything in particular.