Restoration, Chapter 2

The next afternoon, Carth stood outside Bastila's door, waiting for an answer to the door chime and wondering if she'd gone out. Part of him hoped so. Not that he didn't want to see her, but if she was out exploring the station, maybe she wasn't as isolated as Master Vandar had implied.

But the door slid back, and Bastila stood before him in simple brown robes. Her hair was different, too. He hadn't noticed it yesterday, but instead of the braids and pigtails he remembered, her brown hair was pulled back simply. He thought he remembered her wearing makeup sometimes, too. Not that she wasn't a beautiful woman without it. She just looked less... polished. It might have even been a nice change if Carth didn't have a sneaking suspicion that it was more out of apathy than anything else.

Blue eyes regarded him questioningly, and he realized he hadn't said anything. 'Uh, hi. I thought we...' He frowned. In the space of five words, her expression had taken on that distant look again. 'I didn't catch you at a bad time or anything, did I?'

She shook her head. 'No. No, of course not. I was just... meditating.'

Meditating. Carth was starting to understand what Master Vandar had said. 'Well, I thought maybe we should have a briefing today after all.'

Her eyes seemed to snap back from wherever they were, and she even gave a small smile. 'Of course. I'm anxious to get started.'

That much was obvious. 'Well, great,' Carth said with an enthusiasm he didn't entirely feel. He stepped back and swept one arm toward the shuttles. 'Shall we?'

She nodded, then turned and walked to the table in the center of the room, gathering a datapad and her lightsaber. She slipped the datapad into her pocket and clipped the lightsaber to her belt. She joined him in the corridor, and the door to her apartment slid closed behind her.

'We're headed to your office?' she asked as they started off.

Carth shook his head. 'I like to go down to the surface on off days--see the progress that's been made, remind myself why we're all working so hard.' He smiled ruefully. 'I came to help with the restoration and I spend most of the time in my office buried in paperwork.'

'Your efforts are invaluable to the project, Carth,' she murmured politely.

'I know. I just...' He turned to grin at her. 'I guess I was hoping to get my hands dirty, you know? I'm not used to riding a desk.'

'Yes,' she said, a hint of bitterness twisting her voice. 'It is not a... comfortable feeling.'

He cleared his throat and glanced at her out of corner of his eye. 'Is this your first assignment since...?' He trailed off uncertainly.

'Yes,' she replied softly. 'The Masters... I was not ready before now.'

Carth wasn't sure she was ready now. Bastila was a hard worker and very dedicated, and he had no doubt she'd bring intelligence and commitment to the restoration, but he didn't know how to help a Jedi. Especially not a Jedi who seemed as lost and hurting as Bastila was.

Another glance at her brought a surge of guilt. She wasn't just a Jedi; she was his friend. He of all people should be willing to offer a hand to someone drowning in guilt and regret.

'Well, it'll be great having you around,' he said brightly. 'I'm glad you're here.'

It wasn't just kindness, he realized. Despite his reservations, a big part of him was glad to see her. The part that prompted him to start down the wrong hallway when he left his office. The part that steered him toward the larger apartment he'd shared with Dustil. The part that still expected to find someone else's clothes left in the laundry unit or someone else's dirty dishes piled in the sink.

Face it, old man. You're lonely.

Lonely like he'd been before the Star Forge mission. Before he'd met the crew of the Ebon Hawk. Before those months spent in the cockpit with Bastila. She'd never pushed him like Revan. She'd just been there, a calm, quiet presence, dedicated to the mission, dedicated to the Republic. He'd taken strength from her focus and her certainty. Until Saul. Until Malak.

His own thoughts lapsed into brooding, and they walked in silence to the shuttle bay. He led her down to the far end, to the shuttles reserved for military and TSF use. The serious-faced young lieutenant behind the desk saluted Carth smartly.

'What can I do for you, Admiral?'

'We're looking to take a shuttle down to the surface, if you've got one available.'

The lieutenant nodded. 'If you don't mind sharing, I've got one leaving within the hour.'

Carth frowned. He didn't know anyone else besides the Ithorians who were authorized to explore the surface without being part of a squad, and the Ithorians had their own transport. 'Who's taking the shuttle, Lieutenant?'

The man consulted his console. 'The name listed is... Bao-Dur. Iridonian tech.' The lieutenant looked back up at Carth. 'He's not listed as having any access restriction.'

Carth shook his head. 'No, no, you're right. I just forgot.' He grinned at the young man. 'Age will do that to you.'

The young man returned his gaze with a stoic expression. 'Yes, sir.'

Carth sighed. Some of the new recruits needed to loosen up a little. 'That'll be fine, Lieutenant. Which bay is he leaving from?'

'Fleet Bay A, sir.'

'Thanks.' Carth turned to Bastila and gestured for her to follow him.

They walked down to the indicated bay and found the shuttle. The cargo hold doors stood open, and various containers of mechanical gadgets stood piled inside, but there was no sign of the Zabrak mechanic. Carth led Bastila on a quick loop around the shuttle and saw the tech in the back corner of the bay digging through a larger container of supplies. His ubiquitous remote droid circled around his head lazily.

'Bastila Shan,' Carth said when they arrived at the tech's location, 'meet Bao-Dur.' The Zabrak turned and offered Bastila a nod. 'He's the tech that created the force fields that shield the restoration zones. There wouldn't be a Restoration Project without him.' Carth turned to Bao-Dur. 'Mind giving us a lift to the surface?'

'You can give me a lift, Admiral. I'm not much of a pilot.' Carth was pretty sure that meant Bao-Dur didn't mind having the extra company. Sometimes it was tough to tell. The mechanic's voice was always slow and measured, even when he had other techs all over him asking for assistance on the technical details of the shields. 'I planned to stay tonight anyway. You can bring the shuttle back, and I'll get a ride with one of the work crews tomorrow.'

'Sounds good. You need a hand loading any cargo?'

Bao-Dur glanced around and nodded toward two large shipping containers. 'I was waiting for a cargo droid, but the two of us may be able to manage them.'

'You keep doing what you're doing. Bastila and I can get them.'

Bao-Dur turned to Bastila and looked over her slim figure. Carth couldn't count all the male sents he'd seen doing the exact same thing, some more obviously than others, but there was not a hint of expression--either lewd or curious--on the Zabrak's face. He simply nodded.

Carth glanced at Bastila, who nodded and followed him to one of the containers. Carth bent his knees and grabbed the low handle on the box. 'You ready?'

Bastila stood back, appraising the containers. 'It's all right, Carth. I can get them.'

Carth straightened up, grinning. 'Have at it then.'

She gazed at the containers a moment longer, then lifted her hands in a simple gesture. The unwieldy containers rose gracefully a few centimeters into the air, then floated toward the shuttle. Carth turned to Bao-Dur, still grinning, but the mechanic watched the operation without surprise or even any curiosity, his eyes slightly distant. Carth tried not to feel a little disappointed.

He followed Bastila and the containers into the shuttle, where the boxes landed lightly among the others. She made her way through the cargo to the front of the shuttle where two seats occupied the space in front of the instrument panel. She turned to face him, a question in her eyes.

'No problem,' he said. He turned to the space behind the pilot's seat and pulled a small jump seat out from the wall panel. 'Not much, I know,' he said, straightening, 'but it's a short ride.'

'That will be fine,' she said.

She sat, and he bent down to help her strap in. He pulled the harness out of the bulkhead, then realized that it would go right across her chest and into a buckle beside her hip. He hesitated for a moment, awkwardly holding the harness and eyeing where it should go, until she looked up at him.

'Uh... here,' he said, offering her the strap. 'It buckles in just, uh... right there.'

He moved up to the pilot's seat and began going through the take-off prep menus, trying to convince himself that he had not just been caught ogling Bastila Shan's breasts and so there was no need for the blush slowly working its way up his neck.

'Is it common for the workers to spend the night on the surface?' Bastila asked from behind him.

'Actually it's against the rules,' Carth said, glad for a safe subject of discussion and the distraction of the shuttle's controls. 'But Bao-Dur kind of makes his own rules, and as far as I'm concerned, he has unrestricted access to the surface. I meant what I said about there being no project without him. He's a mechanical genius, and we're lucky to have him.'

Silence filled the shuttle; Carth was almost certain it was only embarrassed silence on his part. It was finally broken by the sound of the cargo doors closing a few minutes later. Bao-Dur appeared from out behind the cargo containers and dropped into the copilot's seat. 'Ready when you are, Admiral.' He glanced at Carth from the corner of his eye. 'Try not to frighten the traffic controllers this time.'

Carth grinned. 'Gotta keep the troops on their toes.' His hands keyed in the start-up codes almost without thought. 'Let's get this bucket of bolts in the air.'

He commed shuttle control, and they gave him immediate clearance to leave. Rank had its privileges. That, and there was probably no one else heading down to the surface today. They sailed out the bay doors--just close enough to the control tower to see the whites of the controllers' widened eyes--and into the dark of space. He was just starting to enjoy himself when he had to start the landing cycle. His hands twitched on the controls, and he stifled a sigh. With a last wistful look at the stars around them, he prepared to drop into atmosphere.

They touched down on a small landing platform surrounded by waves of tall grass. Strong sunlight filtered down through thin wisps of white clouds, and the nearby fields gleamed golden. A smile of pride and satisfaction broke across his face. He turned to Bao-Dur, but the mechanic was staring down at the telemetry readings coming through on the shields and frowning at his remote droid's beeps. Carth unhooked his safety harness and twisted in his seat to catch Bastila's expression. She gazed out the viewscreen, but if he was any judge, she wasn't really seeing the scene before her.

'Come on, Bastila,' he said, pushing away his disappointment at her lack of reaction. 'I'll show you around.'

She seemed to shake herself and looked up at him with a slightly apologetic smile.

'Feel free to take the speeder, Admiral,' Bao-Dur said, gesturing through the viewscreen at the lone transport near the landing pad.

Carth glanced again at the bright sunshine. 'Nah. I think we'll walk.'

---

---

Carth led Bastila through the twists and turns of the bluffs, wading through knee-high grasses. He didn't understand most of the biological and geological processes involved in rebuilding a destroyed planet--well, none of the processes really--but he could appreciate the effects. The scientists sometimes came to him looking for approval on this or that piece of outrageously expensive equipment. He'd listen politely, nodding at what he hoped were appropriate intervals, and then when they finished, he'd direct them to the scientific advisory panel appointed by the Senate.

It was much the same when Chodo came to him, though that was more rare. Spending time with a few Jedi didn't mean he understood the Ithorian's long sermons on the will of the Force and balance and life energy and what-not, but it did mean he approved almost anything Chodo asked for. Which thankfully wasn't much.

Whenever he started to worry too much about the details of the mountains of paperwork, he forced himself to take the time to go down to the surface, to breathe in air that hadn't been recycled through a station's ventilators a hundred times and run a hand over the jagged stone of the cliffs. He forced himself to face the new surface and remember why he was here.

He glanced away from the landscape and over at Bastila, feeling a slight twinge of guilt that he'd been neglecting his tour guide duties while lost in his own thoughts. But she was staring down at the waves of grass as they parted around her shins. He resolved to try harder to keep her from lapsing into brooding.

'We're almost there,' he said. 'I hope you don't mind the walk.'

Bastila jumped slightly at the sound of his voice, but then turned to him with a small shake of her head. 'No. It's quite refreshing.' In the bright sunlight, the faint circles under her eyes were even more visible. 'Refreshed' was not a word he would have used to describe her.

But he glanced up at the bluff faces around them and realized that they were really almost there. He quickened his pace. The spot was far off the beaten path, and most of the Senators from the Planetary Restoration Committee weren't exactly up for wading uphill through heavy undergrowth, so Carth rarely got the chance to show it off. For someone who didn't have old memories of the place--and even for someone who did--the view was something to see. He optimistically told himself that this would snap Bastila out of her reverie if anything could.

They came to a turning in the path and suddenly the bluffs dropped away, revealing a wide open expanse of grass. A few hundred yards in the distance, the grasses faded into a thin stretch of white sand. The lake beyond rippled a brilliant blue.

Carth turned to Bastila and was gratified by the small smile that lifted her lips. It was softer than the pinched expressions he'd seen her force out so far. Given her current state, he put that smile about equivalent with a gasp of pleasure from anyone else. He found himself grinning.

'Not bad, huh?'

Bastila turned to him with something like the old light in her blue eyes. 'It's lovely, Carth. Truly.'

He nodded and offered her his arm as they stepped forward off the rocky path and onto the sandier, more uneven soil. He promptly stumbled as his foot sank into a particularly soft section of sand, and they would have fallen if not for her grace. His laugh echoed out across the open water.

'Okay, next time, I take your arm,' he said, still chuckling.

'Agreed.' She laughed softly. It was a quiet, little sound, but Carth felt a strong sense of satisfaction. Maybe Master Vandar was right. Maybe she needed this much more than hours locked away in her Temple quarters. Maybe Carth could offer her something that the Masters couldn't.

Still grinning, he led her down to the shore. The day was perfect. Warm with a slight breeze and sunlight dancing across the dappled surface of the water. The only thing that marred the idyllic scene was the unnatural quiet. It wasn't just the fact that on a day like this, the beach would have been packed with families and tourists. There was no animal noise, no chirping of birds, just the faintest buzz of insects and even that was subdued. Apparently the reintroduction of animal life was a much more complicated, intense process than rebuilding the bluffs or even bringing back the plant life. The Ithorians and the scientists were just starting an extensive, multiyear study of the fauna that would have the best chances of thriving on the new Telos. It would be years before the process of actually bringing in animals started, and Carth felt the familiar knot of tension that tightened his gut whenever he thought about it. That would make or break the project, and the thought that all their hard work up until this point could be scrapped made the grin slip from his face. Despite his promise to himself, he and Bastila fell into silence as they approached the water's edge.

When they cleared the grassline, he forced himself to clear his mind of distant worries and focus on the concern at hand. Bastila's small smile had faded, but she still seemed slightly less stiff than she had on station.

'If you ever need to remind yourself why you're here,' he said to here, 'I highly recommend this place.'

She nodded. 'I had no idea your efforts had already come so far.'

'Well, to be honest, this was one of the very first sites to begin restoration, so it's had the most work done. Most of the other RZs aren't quite so lush.'

She raised an eyebrow quizzically. 'RZs?'

'Restoration Zones.' He gave her a lopsided grin. 'Sorry. Bad military habit.' She smiled again, and he felt another surge of satisfaction.

'How does the project go about selecting sites for restoration?' she asked.

'A panel of scientists and other experts make recommendations to the administration based on soil moisture, seismic stability... criteria like that. Then we deliberate and give final approval.' His grin turned slightly sheepish, and he rubbed the back of his neck. 'But, uh... to be totally honest, I think we started here because I pushed for it so hard.'

She nodded again, blue eyes trained on him with that uncanny Jedi intensity. 'This place has some meaning to you.' Whether she could read his emotions or just the look on his face, he wasn't sure.

He looked out over the water. 'My... my wife and I used to come here. Before we were married and moved across the planet.' He took a deep breath and forced one side of his mouth to turn up again before he met her eyes. 'We never had it to ourselves though.'

She was still studying him intently. Carth forced himself not to fidget with the fasteners of his jacket. 'You chose this spot over the area where you lived with her and Dustil.' It wasn't really a question.

His half-grin died, and he turned away from her again. He didn't confirm her guess or intuition or whatever it was. Restoration could have started on the other side of the planet. Many of the workers were from that side--the more populous side once upon a time. Even Dustil had expressed the hope that they could start near where their home had been. The other Telosians were anxious to rebuild, to try and reconstruct some piece of their old lives from the rubble.

But Carth had pushed for this side instead. If he could face this beach--get past the initial survey of the damaged landscape, push through the months of planting and rock sculpting, and then stand on the sand and feel like they had accomplished something--then maybe he'd be ready to face home. Maybe.

He started at a gentle touch on his arm. The intensity in Bastila's eyes had softened to concern. 'I'm sorry, Carth.'

He shook his head and tried to shake away old memories. 'No, it's...' He trailed off, then shook his head again. 'Why don't we have a seat?' he continued in a different voice. 'We can go over some details of the project.'

She nodded and knelt down on the sand in what looked suspiciously like some kind of meditative posture. Her back was ramrod straight, and her hands were folded neatly in her lap. Carth lowered himself to the sand, ignoring the cracks of protests from his lower back, then sat leaning on his legs bent in front of him, elbows resting lightly on knees.

'Is there anything specific you'd like to know?' he asked when they were settled. 'I didn't really prepare a formal briefing.' He half-smiled at her. 'Really, I was just looking for an excuse to get off station for awhile.' And to keep her from brooding in a cramped, dimly lit apartment. Whether she guessed or could read that last thought, he didn't know.

'I received a briefing on the basic plan and execution of the project,' Bastila said. 'I suppose I am most curious as to what my role will be.'

'You'll be working with Chodo and the Ithorians,' Carth replied. 'They're responsible for... well...' He trailed off, shaking his head. 'I'm not sure I entirely understand it myself.' He turned to face her. 'All I know is, that before the Ithorians came, the scientists couldn't get anything to grow here. The geologists were having some luck with the rock formations, but the xenobotanists couldn't get anything to take root. The advisory panel assured me that the science behind it was sound, but for whatever reason, it wasn't working.'

Bastila nodded thoughtfully. 'To reintroduce life would require more than science.'

'Exactly.' Carth looked back over the water. 'The Ithorians had been offering to help out since the project's inception. I agreed to meet with Chodo, and what he was telling me sounded a lot like what the scientists were telling me.' He met Bastila's eyes again. 'Except the Ithorians had a solution.'

'The Force,' Bastila murmured.

Carth nodded. 'I ran it by Jolee, who ran it by the Council. They all agreed it was worth trying out.' He gestured at the lush landscape just a few hundred yards behind them. 'And the results speak for themselves.'

Bastila glanced over her shoulder at the expanse of waving grasses and the moss climbing freely over the bluff faces, and Carth thought he saw her posture relax slightly. 'Indeed.' Her eyes took on a slightly distant cast. 'The life here... is new but deeply embedded.' She shook herself slightly, then turned to face him again. 'I am not sure what I can contribute.'

'Well, Chodo's not a Jedi. More a... spiritual leader. I think he and the Council are mutually curious.'

Bastila nodded again. 'So it will be something of an exchange of knowledge?'

'Yeah.' Carth raised an eyebrow. 'The Council didn't tell you about any of this?'

Bastila resumed looking out over the water, the wind whipping thin tendrils out of her ponytail. 'Sometimes the Masters contend that the discovery of one's purpose is as crucial a lesson as the purpose itself.'

Carth snorted. 'Hell of a way to run an organization.' He shook his head. 'Hope I didn't spoil the surprise,' he said, grinning slightly.

She smiled. 'Perhaps you were meant to be the means to which I was to gain knowledge.'

Carth laughed. 'You know, ever since I met up with you Jedi, people keep telling me I'm an instrument of the Force. Why do you suppose that is?'

This time she raised an eyebrow. 'You doubt it?'

'All I know is, before all of you came along, I was just a star-pilot. I meet a few Jedi, and suddenly bam! I'm an agent of des--' As his eyes roved over the beach, they snagged on three figures rounding a near corner of the bluffs, a slight figure flanked by two much bulkier ones. 'Dammit,' he muttered. He stood abruptly and began brushing the sand off his pants.

Bastila rose gracefully beside him, turning in the direction of his gaze. 'What is it?'

'Czerka,' Carth ground out through suddenly clenched teeth.

Bastila frowned. 'I thought they had a separate zone in which to conduct their restoration.'

'They do.'

'Then what are they doing here?'

'No idea.' Carth shook his head. 'The woman,' he said, nodding, 'is Tirse Adana. She's the Czerka rep here. She never travels without armed muscle. Which is almost enough in and of itself to convince me she's up to no good. Her attitude makes up the difference.' He shook his head again and felt his hands clench into fists at his sides. 'Add to that missing shipments of parts bound for the project.'

Bastila turned back to him with upraised eyebrows. 'She's stealing from the restoration supplies?'

'Not that I can prove.' Carth felt his back teeth grinding together as he kept his eyes locked on the approaching party. 'Yet. But I will.'

Bastila frowned at him but stayed silent as Adana and her goons closed the distance to where she and Carth stood. Up close Adana looked completely harmless--petite, gray-haired, old enough to be Carth's mother. Like a firaxa shark masquerading as a guppa fish.

'Well, hello, Admiral,' the gray-haired woman purred in a throaty voice. 'So nice to see you on the surface.' Her eyes went to Bastila. Her eyebrows raised and her lips quirked in a little smirk of surprise. 'And with such a lovely young woman.'

The hands that Carth had forced to unclench curled into fists again. 'This is Jedi Knight Bastila Shan.' He placed a slight emphasis on the title. 'She's been assigned by the Council to assist the Republic restoration efforts.'

Adana's smirk lingered. 'Of course she has,' she said in a disbelieving tone, and the tightness in Carth's jaw ratcheted several notches higher.

Adana had taken one of Bastila's hand in both of her own. 'Welcome to Telos, my dear. I trust you're duly impressed with our good Admiral's efforts.'

Bastila glanced at him, then back to Adana. 'I... yes. The restoration project seems to be having remarkable success.'

'How could it not?' Adana still kept a vice grip on Bastila's hands, and her firaxa smile stretched even wider. 'We have a bona fide Republic hero in charge! And such a dashing one.' Adana looked up at him. He supposed the look in her eye was supposed to be a flirtatious twinkle, but it looked more like the gleam of devious planning to Carth.

She turned back to Bastila. 'And now there are two of you! What luck for Telos.' She turned her head back and forth between them, then sighed in apparent contentment. 'And what a darling couple you make.'

Bastila gaped at her and attempted to release her hand from Adana's, but the woman gripped her wrist like a shackle. 'Madam, I assure you. My relationship with Admiral Onasi is strictly professional.'

Adana winked at her and finally released her hand. 'Oh, I know, my dear. I know. I'm sure you two had lots of business to discuss down here on a secluded beach.'

Bastila frowned. 'But that's not at all--'

'Did you need something, Tirse?' Carth cut in. 'We were about to head back to the station.'

Adana shook her head. 'No, no, Admiral. We have everything we need. But so kind of you to ask. Just popped by to say hello.'

'All right then,' Carth forced out through clenched teeth. It was as close to a smile as he could muster. 'We really need to be on our way.'

'Don't let me keep you,' Adana said with a little gesture toward the bluff path. 'I'm sure you two young people have a lot of catching up to do.'

Bastila was still gaping at the woman, so Carth grabbed her by the elbow and began to steer her back toward the bluffs. She seemed to stumble along in stunned silence for several minutes, but as soon as they were out of earshot, she let out a loud breath.

'I do not like that woman,' she declared, glancing over her shoulder.

Carth snorted a dry laugh. 'That makes two of us.'

'How could she--? I mean... what insinuations! And she would listen to none of a reasonable explanation!'

'That's Tirse,' Carth muttered. He shook his head. He realized he was still holding Bastila's arm and let her go. 'And I hate to say it, but if I know her, it'll be all over the station by morning.'

Bastila turned to him with a frown. 'What will?'

'Uh...' Carth rubbed the back of his neck. 'You know...' He gestured between them. 'Us.'

'But...' Bastila spluttered. 'There is no...' She crossed her arms under her chest. 'To spread such a rumor would be highly unprofessional.'

Carth raised his hands in exasperation. 'I know, but trust me. That's never stopped her before. She takes any chance she can get to make me look like a fool.'

He lapsed into brooding silence for a moment until he noticed Bastila's slight frown. His last words crept back through his brain, and he felt a warm flush color his face.

'Not that... I didn't mean that someone having some kind of... with you...' he stammered. 'Just that, you know, I'm an admiral, you're a Jedi. I'm so much older than you and it would make me seem...'

'Crazy?' Her lips quirked into a smile, but for a second, he thought it looked a little forced. 'Yes. So I believe you once told Revan when she asked if there was anything between you and I.'

Carth nearly stumbled into the undergrowth at the side of the path. 'She, uh... she told you that, huh?' Somehow, some way, from lightyears beyond the Outer Rim, Revan was still getting him into trouble.

He stopped walking and turned to Bastila. 'I didn't mean... she was just so...' Nosey. Intrusive. Perceptive. He cleared his throat, running a hand through his hair. 'You know how she was.' Then he sighed and shook his head. 'There's no way I'm getting out of this gracefully, is there? Though in my defense, that comment is taken way out of context.'

Bastila made a small gesture of dismissal with one hand and resumed walking along the path, and he fell in step beside her. 'Do not trouble yourself. About that or about Ms. Adana.' She glanced back over her shoulder. 'It will not be the first time I have been the subject of such rumors. We shall simply have to make it completely obvious that our interactions are strictly professional.'

'Right.' He nodded, then offered her a tentative grin. 'Shall we head back to station, Knight Shan?'

She smiled and nodded back. 'Yes, Admiral Onasi.' Her expression was completely neutral, but he was relieved to catch a hint of amusement in her voice.