[Mari hears this entirely the wrong way. Of course Aubrey misses her; seems lots of time has passed in this strange place, and she’s been stuck with that… whoever it was.

[It remains unvoiced for the moment, however. She sits back on the floor and lets Aubrey—older, it seems, but doubtlessly still Aubrey—fall into her, holding tight. Mari strokes her hair, brushing it with her fingers, and Aubrey cries harder. Poor girl....]

[Mari has many, many questions, but she’ll indulge this just a biiit longer. There’s no one around to see, anyway—except this person Aubrey’s with. And since Aubrey’s not exactly in talking shape, Mari addresses him directly, with an eternally grateful smile:]

Thank you for keeping her safe.