For a moment, she is stumped on interpreting his reaction to her words, wondering if he really is disappointed that she wasn't strong enough to stand up to her brother. But then she sees the sadness in his expression, and the owl confirms it. It's strange to think someone is grieving for her, especially since she hasn't even heard from her friends for so long, and it is quite touching, but she doesn't like it. He shouldn't be sad; it isn't his fault that she failed, and she has started suspecting that it wasn't a great loss.

The snake, who had silently paid witness to the whole conversation curled around her shoulders, now raises his head towards the owl to pronounce solemnly, "We aren't gone yet." Calliope finds that surprisingly uplifting, and her new friend's sweet little epithet for her even brings a smile round her fangs, albeit a very small and wistful one. "I once believed I was meant to become an exceptionally gifted Muse of Space, with powers formidable enough to rival those my brother is now exhibiting... Obviously I was only fooling myself, though. I'm not much use for anything now, except to go looking for a more successful iteration of myself. Legend has it that she was strong-willed enough to utterly defeat my brother, as he did with me, so if she really exists, she must be the key to destroying him."