She'd flinched and braced herself when he lifted that hand, frozen and unmoving. But then he stopped and Kymopoleia found herself surprised and relieved. And she was even more surprised to find she believed what he said.
He moved past her and Kymopoleia let out the breath she'd been holding and her body slumped where she stood.
She watched him walk inside and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, taking a deep breath and walking inside the building with him. Hers was the second door in the corridor and she opened it now, walking inside, her arms wrapped around herself. Standing in her little living room she watched him, hating that he was here, in her safe space. No one came in here. It was only hers, the only bastion against the outside world, against her father.