'Are you going to meet him?' Mei asked with a voice low as he stopped before the familiar porch light.
Levka, poised to leave, turned back, 'He hasn't let me know his whereabouts since you were gone,' Levka admitted with a heavy sigh. She managed a quick, almost mischievous smile, a flash of her usual resilience, and then disappeared into the night, leaving Mei to the quiet solitude of the doorway.
Inside, the warm scent of paper and roasted coffee was a welcome comfort. Sayo was waiting.
'I am exhausted,' Mei confessed, collapsing beside her, immediately curling into Sayo's side. The day's strain melted away under the familiar touch.
'You have been brave,' Sayo murmured, her hand coming up to pat Mei's back.
Mei's eyes scanned the room. The study door was ajar, and inside, Sayo's colleagues were busy, their heads bent over glowing screens and stacks of documents. The living room itself was a casualty of the evening's work, littered with Sayo's case paper.
