"They were very serious," Luke said. "It hasn't been an easy year for her."

Luke liked focusing on other people's emotions. It stopped him from examining his own.

"So I went home in November to get a new hand and he went back to explain to his Emperor that I'd said no--I've never asked him how that meeting went, but I'm guessing not great--and we were both back here for the next semester. And Rory spent every week in his office trying to bring him back." He shook his head. "I didn't want to get too close. I was still pretty angry."