Teagan’s confirmation made his chest swell. It was an unusual feeling, to be proud of something he had not achieved. And it wasn’t the old pride he remembered, swaddled in ego and hubris, but something wholly transparent, something honest. She told him it hadn’t been easy and he knew it to be true. For long, she wrestled with the decision, with questions upon questions. What he once considered Teagan’s indecisiveness he now recognised as conviction: the choice was hers and she made it.

As they walked, he stole a glance her way. So much of the girl he remembered remained: the inquisitiveness, the determination, it was still there, but it was blossoming into a well-rounded intelligence and a quiet confidence. Much like her mother. The life would suit her, but it would also shackle her, perhaps in ways she did not yet understand. And, as he watched, Loki could not help but feel a stirring of guilt that maybe he, too, had a hand in forging those shackles.

Trees stood at intervals, along the prominade, providing rare greens across a heavy canvas of grey. They had slim pale trunks that flaked in thin curls, and round fulsome canopies. Each boasted a circle of benches at their base, turning them into concentrated gathering points. They found a free bench and sat. On the neighbouring bench, a couple of elderly Mon Calamari shared candies from a neatly wrapped parcel, and to the other side, a rowdy family Ugnaughts; the mother nursed an infant with delicate utterances while the father corralled excitable twins.

Loki disliked their central location, which forced him to keep his back to strangers, but on balance, it felt safe enough. Even if it was just the illusion of safety. He wondered what Teagan’s mother would make of her wandering Jovan Station alone. As with Vymes, he tried not to dwell too long her, or on Ossus, or the life he had packed away into the dark recesses of his past. But with Teagan, he had to at least try. He followed her gaze, taking in their new surroundings.

“It does not surprise me your mother visits this place. It has become an important trade hub for the entire quadrant. If you can’t find what you’re looking for in Jovan Station, you will be hard-pressed to find it anywhere else.”

Spoken like a true encyclopaedia. Loki privately scolded himself. He would have to try harder than that, even if it meant discussing things he’d rather not talk about.

“How… are things on Ossus, these days?” He attempted a conversational tone, but it came out stilted, “It was never the easiest place to live, after all.”