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He put the glass under the faucet to fill it. "She ain't here, an' she never was," he said, and braced the phone on the joint of his wing. "I asked as soon as I got to Enodia. I dunno what I saw or what actually happened to her, but...I must just a' never found her...her body, you know?"

"Oh god," Vlad said quietly, looking mortified. Yoshi had her hands clasped over her mouth. Teige, however, snatched the phone off the table.

"I don't really wanna talk about it, okay?" Hawk said. "It's just real good to hear you--"

"Hawk," Teige said loudly, "she ent in Enodia, because she's here in Escalus."

There was silence for a moment. The glass trembled in Hawk's hand, and he said distantly, "That ain't funny."

But his heart started to pound. Teige spluttered.

"What the--no, it fucken well ent, is it?! What kind of--"

"Honey, please," Vlad cut in gently. "It's true, Hawk. I've met her too. I'm so sorry, I didn't realize who she was to you."

Hawk's heart pounded faster. He said nothing. Someone else said in the background, "Here, Yoshi, introduce yourself! Tell him about her!"

"A-ah!" Yoshi stammered, and then to Hawk said, "H-hello! M-my name is Yoshi. Liya is a good friend of mine. She has told me a lot about you. She misses you very much."