Firefly Glen [PHE] The course that you have set for me

It was as Anselm feared; Etienne said as much. He found the tension in his shoulders unwinding.

He did not want Etienne to go.

For a split second he considered entreating Chani, after she had been introduced to him and it was confirmed — at least visually — that her opinion aligned with his. He thought he saw something else knife in her, anger maybe — but the moment was fleeting and Anselm’s mental energy was quickly shored elsewhere.

Chani reached for Etienne and hugged him close. Words Anselm did not understand were exchanged, though he understood ‘maman’ by the many times Etienne had spoken of his own mother.

Silent, and feeling he had no good thing to contribute, Anselm exhaled a long and defeated sigh between them.