"I know, I know, I need to," Stephen admits with the barest hint of a whine. "It's just I haven't talked to her since the jailbreak disaster, and I'm not looking forward to what she'll have to say." He looks at Cyrus sideways. "Did she seem too mad?"

From Stephen's end, the conversation feels automatic, like of course, this is the thing to talk about, this is the thing to say.