They didn't say who they were.
They didn't have to.
The office had already changed by the time Willow got to the center of the floor. Zana was asleep in the stroller next to her, and Lorrlyne was going slowly and confidently on the other side. People talked less. Chairs moved. Attention shifted with the quiet inevitability of gravity doing what it always does.
Willow felt it right away.
Not a surprise. Acknowledgment.
It was easy to see the stroller, but not because it was flashy; it was on purpose. Smooth. Very little. Costly in a sense that implied safety first and pleasure second. The kind that folks who thought nothing should ever go wrong made and priced accordingly. Zana slept soundly within, wrapped in soft, neutral cloth. Dark glasses kept the lights above her from bothering her eyes, and her small face was peaceful behind the newest protective glass.
Someone let out a quiet breath.
"Willow," a voice said, and it was already smiling. "It's been a while."
