Far from expressing chagrin or anger at Valdis's initial reaction, X smiled. "That's good."

Better than good -- it would have been the exact thing he suggested. Find the victim's family, help them however she could, take on the responsibility she'd stolen. It was wonderful she'd thought of that herself, and both the smile on X's face and his tone were genuine.

With the clothes he'd brought laid out on the rock, X sat down with his back to the wall and closed his eyes so Valdis could shift and change in relative privacy. "How did Devin find you?" he asked.