"My best friend." A softer beam. "He saved my life, and we've been traveling the universe together ever since. He's a tinkerer, expert of jiggerypokery and Doohickery."

She waves a hand. "We've been separated before. He'll find me eventually." An eyeroll. "Probably. I trust him, but sometimes his timing's not the best. The first time he tried to bring me back to see my Mum, he thought he set it for 12 hours, but it wound up being 12 months," she winced. "Mum's been a bit on his case ever since."