[That's a question that's difficult to answer honestly, and Padparadscha's expression remains unreadable as it's asked. There's certainly one thing they could say to that which they're sure would shake Rutile...but it's still really something they'd prefer not to share, especially not so frivolously.

Considering Rutile had already been shaken enough here by what happened with Phos taking them away, who knows how they might react to the implication that Padparadscha had given up on their success long beforehand?]

I think it would be unwise to believe it hasn't. It's been a long time since we've been able to work together like we once did, and at least one of us has changed a lot in that time. You're the scientist of us - would you expect anything to remain completely the same when such a large factor has changed?

[It's a straightforward enough way to put their answer without doing undue damage. Things have certainly changed, but perhaps not in the manner that Rutile was asking about.]