[Venus, Neptune, Jupiter - wow. Whoever named these kids is a huge nerd. But, Shiro is also a huge nerd. He probably would have slipped in a space name to any kid he had. He keeps that thought absolutely to himself, though.]

I like their names. [Is what he says instead, honestly.] I used to be a space pilot, before this place, so I'm a little biased.

[But, the worst, and still Venus' friends? They can't be all bad. Venus can't be that bad. So far he hasn't seen anything even remotely terrible about the kid. Just a scared, anxious teen. He's got plenty of experience with those now, doesn't he?]

Jupiter sounds smart - I wish I could meet her. [And then, a quiet laugh.] But Neptune sounds like my kid. [Even now, it's easy to talk about Eddie like that. My kid. Who's still out there, somewhere, in the sea, and Shiro won't hear otherwise.] He was meanest to the people he cared about. And for their own good half the time.

[His expression softens. Brow creasing. He reaches out, to put a hand on Venus' shoulder, but stops, not sure if the contact would be appreciated.]

I understand. I worry about the people who aren't here all the time. Not easy, is it?