[ In retrospect, Gregor can see how a man embarking on a twenty year colossal effort would want some reassurance it all worked out in the end. It was strange seeing Aral this young; his mental image of him growing up was all towering competence, impossible to live up to. It was a new thought, to see him with the same worries and uncertainties about the future as everyone else.

Gregor finds his own seat, taking the remaining armchair and leaving Miles to that couch. He still sits straight, not slouching, not casual, given the topic and who from. ]

We have. [ He inclines his head in a formal nod, hazel eyes dark but something soft behind them. ] And lest you think to worry on it, we have a positive relationship of the appropriate distance. [ One finger taps on the chair arm for just a moment, belying a bevy of hidden feeling. ] No one dares to question that anymore.

[ Gregor's reaction post-Vordrozda had quickly put paid to that. ]