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James blinked, thinking about it for a moment before typing in "Sheng" as his first guess.

The tablet unlocked. It was currently on a photo gallery of old pictures. The current picture looked like a family portrait. An older Chinese man with greying sat in a chair with a boy about to enter his teens by his side and a little girl sitting on his lap. The little girl was clearly Yue, just as beautiful back then as she was now. Both the young boy and the man had a very rugged and serious look about them.

James peered at it closely before glancing in the direction of the jet. Then he sighed and locked it once more. If Yue caught him with it she'd probably hate him for life. He'd steal a look later if he got the chance. Then he made his way back to the jet.

Yue was waiting patiently, glancing over as James got in.

James handed Yue her tablet and got into his seat, "Why is that so precious to you?" he asked as he started up the jet.

"... All of the memories I cherish are on it," she replied quietly.

James nodded, "Are they backed up somewhere?" he asked.

"... Not exactly," Yue replied sadly. "Gege won't let me make more than one copy of them."

James sighed, "No wonder you clutch that thing so tightly." he mused before falling silent.

Yue was silent too for a long moment. "... Sorry for spoiling your fun," she muttered.

James blinked before smiling a little, "Do you feel better?" he asked.

"No," she replied.

Then James sighed, "Well, I'm sorry for wasting your time then." he stated, sounding rather exhausted as he returned to silently flying the jet.

Yue didn't say anything the rest of the trip back.

Kale was finally around again at nights. It seemed like they had given up on England. He quickly picked up his routine with Blaze once more.

James gave Yue more space than he had before, he was polite but not pushy. If she wanted to stay in her room all day, he let her. He had other things on his mind. And as the days grew on, it was chiefly Laurel.

Laurel continued to call in daily but she was less cheerful with each passing day. Something was definitely wrong. One day she had a swelling on her cheek which she claimed was because she had run into a door. But then came the bruising on her wrist and finally a black eye. James was pretty pissed off that she wasn't explaining.

Cong would know that Laurel's father had grown increasingly violent with his returning strength. At times he was cold and lashed out both verbally and physically at Laurel, who took everything he dished out with silent acceptance. But then he would dissolve into a sobbing mess and Laurel would comfort him for hours until he calmed back down. It was a terrible cycle to watch.

It had been a week since Laurel had tried to get in touch with Nic, she hadn't called again since then.

"So did you hear about the bruises on Laurel?" Kale asked Blaze one night as he ate some chocolate, "It seems to be getting worse. I think James is about ready to fly over there himself to find out what's going on."

Blaze was still a little distant for awhile, but she slowly started to become more comfortable again.

Surprisingly, Yue started spending more time out and about. But it was a gradual change. Her mood hadn't improved too much though. But at least it was a baby step.

Cong interfered very little between Laurel and her father. But he'd treat her injuries when she let him. He wasn't half bad of a guy. He was typically very tired though, like there was a huge weight resting on his shoulders.

Nic hadn't tried contacting Laurel over the past week.

"Her father is beating her," Blaze replied bluntly.