It amuses Natasha to note that Zidane's attitude to Mikoto is not unlike Telrim's toward her mother: the awkward uncertainty, the dutiful, stilted asking-after because it's expected, not because both parties are eager to catch up.

It does not amuse Telrim: but she has her moment when Mikoto names the palace. The Controller's mouth draws into a slight, brief smile. Oh, his face. He knows, then, where this is going. She doesn't doubt he'll be squirming for as long as it takes Mikoto to confirm exactly how much they already know. And some time after, if he's pressed to explain himself.

"It's a lovely place," she says herself, her tone even and perhaps incongruously pleasant. "Dusty, yes, but fascinatingly well-equipped. Scientifically speaking."