The news of her visit was well anticipated. Nova hadn’t seen the twins in three months. She blames me, of course. Her insistence on attending Liberty Tech seemingly wasn’t considered. The well-known demanding performance takes up so much of her time. Still, she knew I could have made some time. I don’t know how to tell her the whole truth about the boy. I considered listening in on her lines with the twins to know just how much they told her. I decided against it. Aria taps in at least once a week since his acquisition. In all honesty, he’s doing better than I projected. It’s truly a testament to her. Aria was right. That child would have had no chance of becoming well-adjusted away from his own people. Away from her. Her visit was just her and the children. Nova’s excitement was contagious. She had so much planned out for them to do together. I couldn’t resist smiling, watching her decide on the best of her projects to present to them. After her small outburst, she overall seemed to get along well with the boy as well as I could decipher. Kalel. That's his name. It’s unique. Aria smiled when she told me. The children gave him that name. I smiled at that. She stayed close to Kalel. She would purr every so often. A quieter, deeper purr- I don’t believe I’ve heard before. Kalel would relax into her. It was…Beautiful. “He’s really into this ‘superhero’ thing. It’s a bit odd”, Aria spoke through a smile, looking over at the children. Kalel now sat near the twins and Nova. Silently watching Nova speak about how the electric conductivity of the human body affects the implementation of augments. “My father was also fascinated by old world media. He collected discs.” I walked from the brewing station and handed Aria a cup of tea. Red Leaf Tea, spiced with cinnamon. Her favorite. I sat in a chair adjacent to hers, watching the children from across the living room. Nova then grabbed Kalel’s hand and stood, dragging him to her room with the twins. His expression was impossible to read. I straightened up, pushing my back off the back of my seat, prepared to stand and walk to my daughter. “Is Kalel o-” “He feels safe”. Her voice was soft, tired. The Hyome’s ability to intuitively and accurately sense these states in others is undeniably extraordinary. I’ve come to trust this. I relaxed back into my chair somewhat and looked over at Aria. Her large hair was tied into a low ponytail. The ribbon holding it together was tied tight but messy, almost lazily. She had a light shadow underneath her eyes. She took sips of the tea, savoring them, relaxing into her chair more and more after every one. I just looked at her for a moment. An unexpectedly long moment. When I noticed this, I felt the need to say something. “How have you been, Aria?” She looked up from her cup. She had been staring at the red liquid in between sips, her eyelids heavy. She looked me in the eyes and gave me a small, soft smile. “I’m okay, Jean.” I genuinely was at a loss for words for a quick moment. This was unlike her. I held back my doubt. “That’s good to hear” Her smile faded somewhat as she looked back down at the cup she held in her lap. Her tail, wrapped around her legs just above the ankle, constricted slightly. “That boy…” She winced slightly and softly bit her bottom lip. Her smile completely faded. “I…” She covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes strained tight, holding back tears. I leaned towards her, and I grabbed her forearm. I held it there when she placed her hand on top of mine, squeezing it. She let her tears fall. You’re absolutely amazing. I held my tongue. I feared the words that would follow would cross a line. She let her guard down. Weeping quietly, straining then relaxing in a rhythm that slowed into her shoulders falling in relief.