She had responded immediately, coming directly from the city to meet him at the outermost commuter station. He had been happy to see her but curiously laconic, and now he only shrugged and stared out of the window.‘I called as soon as I reached a public comm,’ he said.‘I don’t mind. It’s just that I need to catch up on some work appointments in the city. You’ll have to spend most of today with your mother and your sister,’ Delarua said.Rafi was quiet for a moment. ‘Is Gran visiting, too, by any chance?’Delarua eyed him. The train would reach Tlaxce City Centre shortly, but one of the stops was the Lakeside station, near her mother’s place. ‘No. You want to go see her? I’m not sure that she’s in.’He shrugged wordlessly, the repeated, meaningless gesture guaranteed to irritate, but she persisted.‘Tell me now so I can signal the stop,’ she warned him.‘It’s fine. So it’ll be just us three.’She examined his expression with genuine anxiety. Never would she forget that she had failed him when he had needed her most.
