Seeing how poor his mom's health had been lately, hearing Shaye's childhood stories that involved her cheered him up quite a bit. He knew that his parents hadn't been the closest friends when they were younger - the way they joked about it made it seem like they'd moreso been enemies, actually - but he hadn't pressed the topic too much. Truthfully knowing Shaye had been friends with Lillie made his worries about her lessen, if only slightly, though he wasn't quite sure if it'd remain that way after he asked the question that had been weighing on his mind.
She explained she'd left because of her father's health, and then Vail's own issues had kept them away. It made sense - he too would abandon Abaven if it meant caring for his own immediate family's health. "I won't lie, it's a little weird having family we've never met just.. show back up in our lives, but I'm glad it's you and Rhyme instead of anyone else." Was that rude to say? The part about their return and subsequent takeover being a bit weird? It was how he felt, though, and it felt like they were being open and honest so he hoped he wasn't being too forward either.
