[She giggles and affectionately touches her cheek to his shoulder. But his thanks catches her off-guard enough that she almost forgets to zap the pinecone. And for a second, she wants to blurt out foolish things. She wants to tell him she will always put him first, but that sounds besotted and it's also a promise she might not be able to keep. Maybe. Would she? She can't always tell when something like that comes from the heart and when it comes from that destructive place Keeper Deheune raised her in. The question she has found is this: will this bleed her dry, like she bled for her clan since she was nine?

No. This evening, she has listened. She has related. And she has laughed. She feels renewed, not drained. This is how it's meant to be done, not the other way.]

It cost me nothing, [she says quietly.] And I want you to know that if you need me, I will be here. It doesn't matter if I'm working. If you need me, you can find me, and I will stop whatever I'm doing and help you.