“I have not changed any since we last MET. I trust matters are pleasant on your side of THINGS?”
If the slight term of endearment was noticed, she didn’t bring attention to it. For once such an easy distraction was welcomed—she was hoping a certain warden was not the cause of this sudden load of work.
“They remain about the same; neither here nor there.” Which was Hakuba’s way of saying that life was, as always, difficult and painful, but he was pretending that everything was fine. But that is why he was there in the first place, wasn’t he?
“Have you eaten yet?”