By now, Sparrow has settled in with Hypatia. Gifts have been given, greetings have been exchanged, wine has been shared, and they're sitting on the couch waiting for the others. Then the door opens and they hear the familiar voice before the man is even fully in the room. Instantly dumbstruck, they turn to look at the small parade of forty-somethings coming through the door.

Someone they don't recognize at all. That's encouraging!

Then Lou Sweetapple. That isn't!

Then...Rory Fairfax. But they'd already known that was coming, hadn't they? They stare for a moment, taking in every detail of the man. Even obscured by ten years of change and a new beard that suits him and some sort of rash, they'd know that face anywhere and suddenly seeing him again leaves them at a loss. They want to keep on staring, taking in every new detail. They also want to collapse into a flock of birds and escape out Hypatia's open window. They also want to down this entire glass of wine. Instead, they smile stiffly and force their gaze to Lou instead. That's a little easier.

"...Not seeing things. Just an awfully small world! Hey Lou." There's an unintentional pause before they add, "...Hey Rory."