John sighed inwardly and nodded, letting the matter drop. In his experience, when someone kept contradicting themselves and couldn't see the upside of anything, it meant they weren't ready to let anybody else help them sort it out. At least nobody could say he hadn't tried.

"Wish you luck, then. Nice talking with you again, Raphael. I gotta run." He offered the bone dog a cautious pat on the head. Er, skull. "Good to meet you, Frankie."