"Blaise," Serafina said, looking up at him with a warm smile. "You look well."
At first glance, he seemed healthy and happy - and so tall, she never could quite get over how tall he was. When months passed in between the times she saw him, she was stunned by it every time. Her little boy, grown into such a strong man.
What amusement he was getting from this, she wasn't sure, but a small hint of it was reflected in her own smile: pleased amusement at the fact that he was in such a good mood. Glad to see her, she hoped. His smile did look genuine.
"Please, have a seat, and tell me everything that's happened since I saw you last," she said, sitting up a bit straighter. It was her instinct to get up and kiss him, but even when they were alone, she tried to avoid such things these days. Of course, if he gave any indication of needing a hug, she would have been right there to give it.
And though that sentence was almost phrased in the form of a question, she did expect him to give an answer. Not the full truth, but what he would pass for the full truth in front of his mother.