Mayday Solution

"I don't want this life anymore."

"Here, take mine; I'm hardly using it," he quipped.

"Seriously, I'm ready to jump ship." She kicked a small pebble over the building's edge, following its descent for several seconds. "What stops you? What stops anybody?"

"I think, eventually, you hit some make-it-or-break-it point," he mused quietly. "For many years, I'd have gladly given it all away. Now...I'm invested."

"Just like that?"

"Maybe; for some people."

"Hm," she grunted, cutting her eyes at him suspiciously. She pondered in silence awhile. "So," she returned wryly, "...is it true you have to sign in blood?"