Jess resisted the urge to sigh at the minimalist response that she should have been expecting by now, pushing on with speaking to him not for her sake, but for Mira's. She knew she herself could never<em>really</em>fill in as an older sibling for her, and Mira deserved a lot more support than she currently got from her more-or-less estranged family. So, unless she got Mattias Malrain on the phone, pretty much the best she could do was get Alister to show some warmth to at least one person, even if that person wasn't her. "Don't worry, once the fans start to see how good Mira can become, they'll be clamoring for a rematch. You'll have your chance then, as long as you're more prepared."<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>The girl glanced up at Jillian, then down at her shoes, leaning her cheek against the boxer's shoulder as she debated whether or not proper shoes were worth delaying dinner over. "I guess some real shoes would be a bit more comfortable than some sandy sandals," she replied, chuckling softly . "Yeah, if you don't mind the detour, I'd appreciate it. I just hope Monty isn't home, or else I'm going to have to answer a hundred questions before we can get going. You wouldn't know it from seeing how he acts most of the time, but he can be a worrier," she continued, laughing again.