From the look on her mother's face, she must have succeeded a little too well. "This is hard enough, Kira. I have to ask a big favor of you."

"This isn't about the Imperials again, is it?"

"No. It's about that boy you met. The one from Urth."

"Jason?"

Mari gazed steadily at Kira long enough to make her nervous. "Yes. Jason is the only person from that ship who has told us anything. We need to know a lot more."

"I told you everything that he told me," Kira said.

Her mother took a deep breath. "Maybe he would tell you more if he had another opportunity. To talk to you. Here."

"Why would he come here?" Kira asked, confused.

"If you asked him to visit—"

"What?" Kira leaned back abruptly in her chair, staring at her mother. "You want me to ask an insufferable boy from Urth to…go on a date with me?"

Mari spoke with forced calm. "Kira, it's not a date. You won't have to go anywhere. We'd have him come to this house, give you two some time alone—"

"Some time alone? I cannot be hearing this! Why should I agree to that?" Kira demanded.

"Because he told you some very important things the last time you saw him," her mother said. "But we need to know more."

"I am not—" Kira began, her temper flaring.

"Listen!" When her mother used that daughter voice, even Kira stopped talking. "Your father has been talking to other Mages. The foresight about the ship from Urth is increasingly warning of great danger to this world and to Urth. Whatever they are doing or planning to do could cause great harm." Mari paused again, looking at Kira. "I can't tell you to do this. But I am asking you."

She looked back at her mother, guilt flooding her. Kira knew of the sacrifices her mother had made for others. What was this compared to what her mother had gone through? "All right," Kira said. "It's not like you're sending me to slay a dragon."

"Thank you, dearest," Mari said, smiling at her. Kira felt her face warming from embarrassment as her mother continued. "You know that you didn't have to."

Kira looked at the floor. "You didn't have to save the world. This isn't anything like that, and you need me to do it. So it's sort of like a job, isn't it? And, judging by my mother and my father, people in this family aren't very good at saying no when they're needed to do a job."

"No, we're not. I'm proud of you."

"Why? I'm not… I haven't…"

"Kira." Her mother leaned close, gently touching Kira's face. "I know how hard it is living with…that person who is also me. The daughter of Jules. I can never get away from her, either. Don't let that make you think less of who you are."