"The Crashdown is my parents' pride and joy. We'd be nothing without that place. I can't just let the mindless natives run it. That wouldn't be right. It's mine and came with me, so it's my responsibility."

She hadn't wanted to waitress again. Before she was pulled into Taxon, she'd been scheduled to meet with a state senator and work out an internship. She'd been going places, and to be stuck - in more ways than one - was frustrating. But, she couldn't just let the Crashdown fall apart. It was her home, as well as the thing that ensured she still had one. She owed more to that restaurant than she did to most people she knew.

"I usually have a good reason to smile," she said, pointedly. "And you didn't answer my question."