[Special monkey post.If it needs to be moved, it needs to be moved. I've no patience for asterisks.]
Norrington tilts his head slightly to look at the monkey properly, and partially to avoid being tickled behind the ears, which is making him chuckle. The monkey is a cheerful little thing, and stroking its fur is comforting. Much better than that evil-eyed cat. He smiles a little.

"Listen to me, talking to a monkey." He rolled his eyes. "I'm as mad as the rest of them."

Then he stood up, and looked out over the city. In the evening light, the city glittered like a million jewels, spectacular and tantalising.

"See that." He said, gesturing. "Beautiful by night, isn't it? Beautiful and maddening. Sometimes I look at it and for a second, I think I've come home. When I first came here in my dreams, I was actually irritated to wake up back in the real world. Isn't that odd? I always thought the sea was my home. But sometimes, there's a scent in the air that reminds me of Suffolk in autumn, and it's full of such fascinating people. All equally mad, of course, but still fascinating. I miss the sea, but the sea is finite. We've been right the way round the whole earth now. It won't be long before there's naught left to discover. No more mysteries. But out there..." He gestured. "Somewhere out there there are doors to worlds you and I could never dream of. Is this some kind of a gift? That I should be the one to explore beyond the confines of the earth itself? To command a ship that flies among the stars themselves...that would be a dream worth reaching for. Whoever created this city, they don't know what they've done. I'm told they wanted to destroy everything. But.. they've linked everything. Everything, everywhere. I don't understand it, but I can feel it, here." He put a hand to his chest. Then he smiled wryly. "You try explaining that to them down there, though. With their opium and their foolish games. You'd better run along back to your master now, little fellow."