The archivist offered to see the seamstress safely home after Mrs. Morin collected Zoé thirty minutes earlier - which had freed Anise to indulge in another round that left her less than steady on her feet. Standing outside the restaurant and watching them both walk away felt… satisfying.
> Expecting a person you feel some responsibility for to be alright, even without looking over their shoulder or tugging them along by their elbow. The human 'capability' of predicting either the worst or the best is sometimes too troublesome. <
"Still, I wish she would wait until she was home…"
"Oh, that's nothing. I could show you pictures of her college days, if you want. I have a blackm- security file on her, since she deals with boss lady regularly."
"No, thank you."
"Even though you jumped immediately for-"
"You already had them on the screen, it's not the same!"
