Lunise was at first surprised at Meesei's sudden spell, but her objections were silenced by the kiss. Still, she was flushed at the gesture. "I wish you would warn me before doing that," she murmured, peering around at the frozen faces. "Any one of these people around us could be well attuned to the kind of magical anomalies that would hide our relationship."

She sighed and continued. "Never mind. The letter, it was...I did not get to read it myself, but father was a mess. Weeping into his hands in his chair. He did not even try to hide anything when I walked in."

Lunise turned to sit down on the bench. "I asked after his wellness. He..." She looked at the ground. "He asked me, rhetorically, if she was not coming back. We both knew the answer." She paused, blank faced and staring at the pavement before them. "We grieved. We grieved for some time. And then, true to his blasted nature, father brought out a box of mother's old things. Just little mementos and letters. And we just shared stories of her, quietly celebrating her memory."

Lunise's lungs slowly emptied.