"That's what you say now," he said. He wouldn't put it past the island to remember this moment, and then turn Karen into a legitimate actual pufferfish at some point in the future. "I'll take your word for it."

"How much longer do you think, until the countdown?" he asked, looking around but unwilling to go very far to see how much time was left. Not that he was going to run off, or allow himself to get sidetracked -- tonight was far too important for that nonsense -- but because the place was just so crowded, he worried that he'd get stuck in the crowd, and the last thing he wanted was to have to start throwing elbows in fancy dress just to get back to Karen in time.