[ Ralph releases an exaggerated breath that he's been holding in, if not in his chest, then in wire and nerve and impulse - the dracaena has been a stalwart friend, a point of comfort in chaos, and it has heard all his fears. The smile on the android's face is wide, teeth exposed as he nods. Simon understands, and it's a kindness Ralph will remember. ]

Ralph is glad as well, because he made a promise that he would come back.

[ But even promises are lost in panic. It is a heaviness, the what-ifs of the recycling center, the terrifying abyss on the other side of those machines. He is happy to be intact. He is happy to have held a promise to the plant.

He affirms the motion of going home with a small hum of glee and an affectionate stroke of an especially droopy leaf. Ralph is ready now more than ever to leave behind his abandoned house for something more. ]

It would have been very lonely to come home, and Ralph thinks he would have stayed if you did not come with him.

[ A thoughtful pause. ]

Thank you, Simon.