"We might as well talk, Mark," Kieran said. A bright moon had risen; it illuminated the dark ocean, turned it to a sheet of black and silver glass, the colors of Kieran's eyes. The night desert was alive with the sound of cicadas. Kieran was walking beside Mark with his hands looped behind him, deceptively human-looking in jeans and t-shirt. He had drawn the line at donning any gear. "It does us no good to ignore each other."

"I have missed you," Mark said. There seemed no point in not being honest. "Nor did I intend to ignore you, or to hurt you. I apologize."

Kieran looked up, a surprised flash under dark lashes. "There is no need to apologize." He hesitated. "I have had, as you say here in the mortal world, a lot on my mind."

Mark hid a smile in the dusk. It was irritatingly cute when Kieran used modern phrases.