After visiting the dojo and signing her up for classes, Torque could barely get Patience to wind down from her excitement. Small children in little white outfits moving together, it had had her babbling at him from the moment they had left.
Torque had laughed loudly at her bouncing around happily, before scooping her up and putting a National Geographic special on Jaguars on the TV. They still weren't back to their previous level of ease they had been reaching when the letter had arrived in his mailbox, but between the two of them, they were reattaching well. She still wouldn't go to sleep without assurances that he would not leave, and had oddly gotten clingy with her GI Joe Marine action figure.
He went with her everywhere.
Between the fascinated toddler in his arms watching the jaguars onscreen, the drizzling rain outside that hadn't really quit all day, Torque barely caught the sound of someone outside. While he went tense as the presence stayed outside the door, but did not do anything more, Patience was far too taken with the television program to notice.
The knock was just the impetus he needed to set the little girl on the couch cushion and head over to answer it, with his niece's full attention now. She looked vaguely worried, as if more giant Marines were going to show up. When they'd just said goodbye to them the morning before.
Torque opened the door after checking through the peephole, having to say he was surprised at who was on the other side. "Remy?"