“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Elias said, with undisguised ruefulness for assuming entirely wrong. “It was good of you to come all that way,” he remarked soberly; most good people would willingly make sacrifices for their families, but dropping everything halfway across the world to come support them was admirable even by those standards. Nevertheless, it had to be a lot to deal with; he would certainly prefer to bury himself in work than endure trying to be useful when it came to other people’s emotions in a tragedy, so when she mentioned an escape he glanced at her knowingly.

“Well, if you ever need another getaway while you’re here, you’re welcome to hide in the workshop,” Elias offered lightly, though he was serious enough. It was usually quiet enough here, and he suspected not somewhere anyone would come looking for anyone other than him. More than that, he knew the benefits of finding some space, or any work with which to keep busy. “Especially if you’re willing to provide free labour,” he added, joking now.

---