"Yeah."

He comes into the room and sits on a padded bench, well out of her way.

"...I realize 'are you okay' is a stupid question but it's the best I've got," he says wryly.

"I fully expect to collapse in a sobbing heap at some point in the near future but honestly this whole thing is such an improvement I'm actually feeling pretty good at the moment."

"Oh." He smiles, a little. "Well. Good, I guess."

"And. Um. There is a thing that you and Izaneth should know."

"A few things, actually. One is that Mezeidai knows that my ultimate goal here is to change the way demons feel about humans. The other is - when we were talking, I wasn't aware of her heritage at first, and even once I knew we weren't sure that it would be the right strategic choice to reveal it immediately - so when I told her what she was here for, she asked me to get her pregnant, and I did."

"...oh," says Kemar, blinking.

"Huh." Izaneth regards Mezeidai thoughtfully.

"It was maybe not the most thoughtful life choice I have ever made."

...Izaneth laughs.

"So what are you going to do now?"

"Help solve demon culture, I guess. Be hugged. Besides that--I can hardly begin to guess. I'm--not in a good place to be making long-term decisions right now."

(She is so hugged.)

"Yeah, fair," says Kemar. "Well. —I'm pretty sure I'd be saying this even if you weren't carrying Talyr's kid, but—you have a place in our family if you want one."

"I think I want it. But--I don't know how much of that is me and how much of it is just--being vulnerable and afraid and clinging to anything that looks like safety."

Hug. "You'll have time to find out."

Hug. "And--keeping it probably isn't the smartest thing ever, but--my mom kept me. She didn't have to, she wasn't that far along when she got away, but she did. And I'm really glad I exist."

"Okay." Talyr hugs her some more. "...They're probably going to be talking about - what to do about all this - soon, and I should be there and I think so should Izaneth. He has a - usefully straightforward way of seeing things."

"Yeah, okay."

...She looks at Kemar.

"Guess I'm staying with you, then?"

"Sounds like it."

He half-smiles. "Okay."

"...I like you fine, so far."

He smiles more fully. "Oh. Good."

And Talyr and Izaneth go to see what's going on with the rest of them.

She hesitates, then walks over, sits down beside him and hugs him.