Ford blinked, confused.
"Something else?"
Mia sighed audibly, and Ford grew slightly frustrated. He was following Seth and Grandpa's advice, wasn't he? So why did Mia seem slightly peeved?
"I know Grandpa's been teaching you various skills, and it seems like manners have been amongst the lessons," Mia stared straight ahead, and Ford had to lean closer to hear her.
"Yes?" He frowned. What was the point here?
"When you first came, you tried, badly, to mask yourself behind manners. I finally got rid of that mask, or I thought I did. It's not that I don't like you being kind and accommodating, I just want to make sure this isn't a new and better mask. That you're still being yourself." Mia's shoulders sagged, and she leaned back against his chest as if the speech had tired her.
He squeezed her hand gently.
