"Belong to a couple friends of mine," he says, because that's infinitely easier than disclosing everything that the kids were and are to him. "When they disappeared, I kept taking care of them."

Just because Chara's back doesn't mean he needs to get into that now. Especially when the subject itself is so goddamned complicated as it is.

Watching that reaction to the tigerlily play out, again Tim feels the need to ask:

"...you good?"