A smile. A real, genuine smile, one that he at times of pure stress and exhaustion questioned if he would see again. Dory found himself grinning, nearly laughing even, with the relief surging through his veins.

He did, however, chuckle a beat later at her question. "She tried to. Then she saw your condition and set certain terms." If he was at all willing to release her hand he would have gestured to the wide open door behind them. That combined with the frequent checks and the lack of anyone joining them (despite the crochety woman watching him address and send countless letters to her family) allowed him a bit of grace.

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