"Yes. Indeed, we do."
Cael stood up from the bench and stretched his arms.
"Let's find a good place."
He extended his hand toward Junior, as if asking for a handshake. Junior just stood there, his blind eyes staring at nothing.
Cael nodded to himself.
"Right. I almost forgot."
He raised his hand and placed it on Junior's shoulder. The world blurred. The trees, the bench, the afternoon light all dissolved into nothing.
Then they arrived.
The hotel room was dimly lit, the curtains drawn shut against the outside world.
Few lights glowed in the corners of the room, casting soft orange light across the clear floor.
The air smelled of fresh linen and faint citrus, a sharp contrast to the academy's open gardens.
Outside, the distant sounds of the city drifted through the walls, muffled and distant.
Cael had booked this room in advance for two weeks. It was a safe space. A neutral ground.
