"Good," Ned echoes, staring still at the flames as they grow in size and brightness. Daneel's right that they've only solved the most immediate of problems, but Ned's learned to take things one step at a time, here. Who knows what else might have changed by the morning. No use making plans or fretting himself unduly when it is all out of his grasp, anyway. Oftentimes, that total lack of power alarms him, but he can't imagine feeling alarmed right here and right now. He has to snatch these moments of happiness when they are within reach, or else he would get so miserable he isn't sure what he'd do.

"I know I haven't been around as much these last few days," he says, quietly. It's important to him, at least to explain his absences, even if Daneel wouldn't reproach him for them, even if he doesn't think it's his right to feel entitled to a certain amount of Ned's time and attention. "With Charlie missing Meyer's been a bit of a mess, and I promised I'd look after him if something like this happened, and it's hard to do that when I'm not there." A logical enough argument, and one that he thinks Daneel will understand. Daneel gets that sometimes it is important to look after other people; all the same, Ned has missed him. It seems too silly to say so: they'd still seen one another, but not for as long. Even he isn't clingy enough to admit that so easily.