Edem wanted to get up and give Tibi a pat on the shoulder at once, but he repressed his intentions; it'd be better to stay calm and not panic. Calm down.. If you were him, would you calm down? No. What are you supposed to say then? '..Calm down'.

"Calm down, Tib," he leaned forwards, trying to remember what it is that Tannya used to always do when he was panicking. She would always tell him to look into her eyes and usually his doubts would vanish in that very moment. "Look at me, look at me. We shouldn't worry, at least for the moment, ok? Not when we don't even know how your mother is."

Knowing that it might not be enough to reassure someone whose mother might be in danger, he continued, "Once we're done here, we're heading to the owlery. I got some extra parchment, and you're gonna write to your mother, ask how she's doing, okay?" he suggested.