She lets him soothe her, deeply grudging, and then—

"Hey!" As usual, he has the reach, and that's enough for a temporary victory in this, and she chases him with an annoyance no less affectionate than it is genuine. He doesn't stand a chance.

Cadens is coming into view, a distant smudge among the heat-haze and dunes, and together they walk through her gates, all the lighter for having taken on the work.