"Nina," Lana said, acknowledging her with a nod. "I'm not sure glad is ever the right word for it here, but I'm...pleased to see you in one piece. Do you know if Ryuuzaki is alright?"

There were subtler ways to find out if her absence had snarled their plans. And more direct ones, like outright asking, but she didn't want to presume that they'd waited, either. She wouldn't blame them if they hadn't; even if the remedy worked quickly, a sick person was still a liability.

"I'm afraid I slept through the entire night. I didn't even catch the good Doctor's latest claims and fabrications, aside from the raptures over the pancakes."