[ ... He'll smile at that. It really was about time she'd have that dream--anyway, he'll lean back in the seat he's probably taken once they started playing. ]

Naturally. You can be pretty persistent, and if you weren't around we'd probably feel the absence soon enough or something like that.

[ They still have a long way to go--he knows this. But as far as he could tell some more progress has been made on her end at least, and that's something. ]