It's been a little while since she's had the time to see Rikku. She has mixed feelings about that - Rikku has been one of her best friends for years now, but sometimes when Max sees Rikku she feels like she's just standing still, trapped in a war that she can't escape but that Rikku's somehow managed to be happy regardless of. She finds herself wondering what she did wrong.

But today she's just glad to see her, to see the baby she only saw once for a brief space of time when she was a few months old, and when she arrives to meet them at the fountain at the park she strides forward and hugs Rikku first thing, holding on a little tightly but careful that she's not disturbing Chavvi.

"I'm so glad you made it here safely," she says, and there's more warmth in her voice and more of a smile to her face than there almost ever is these days. "How are you? How's Santo?"