Croix had so much... hopeful joy in that joke. Like she was really wishing for her inquiry to have an answer that would bring some joy of some sort. And in some ways, maybe Chariot could give an answer like that, but...

It wasn't. Not wholly. Not honestly. Not the sort of sincerity that Croix needed from her, the sort that would help bridge the canyon between them they were so desperate to fill again.

"Croix, before we sit down, I just need you to know I've been here over a year now... and a lot has happened," Chariot spoke in a quieter tone, her voice soft but carrying with it a likely familiar apprehension, that sort of anxious energy that seemed to hang around Chariot at all times.