Agreed.

I think he’s flicking a twig out of his hair. Judging by his appearance in the last few pages, he went romping into the woods after Al.

It’s snowing a bit… probably just flicking a snowflake off his head.

Or… maybe it’s more fun to speculate about some other flight-powered AI, off in the distance, who’s about to arrive on the scene?

yeah, that’s how I interpret it, too. They’re both a dad figure to her. Brendan doesn’t like standing on ceremony when it comes to titles, probably, but I don’t think this is intended as any slight towards Brendan or their bond.

He isn’t throwing something? I thought he must be, and was wondering what it was.

I feel like there’s probably not too much to that beyond some unsaid feelings. She got used to calling Mr. Sterling her dad in a way that never came up with Brendan despite their relationship being very strongly father/daughter. I imagine there’s still growth and conflict to be had there but I’d bet the parental bond will win out.

Something I really like about this comic is how stuff that would happen quickly as an aside or exposition in another story with different goals, is fleshed out and explored and given room to breathe. The wider arc of the story and emotions may seem fairly straightforward but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of meat to chew through in getting there.

Yes, she addressed Brendan by his first name, but she did all her life so that would be weird to change—especially in this situation. However, she called Al “the one you’ve seen” which implied Brendan is her other dad.