Rex didn't turn right away when someone called him.
The voice went on, "I have a question."
Rex turned around.
The speaker was a young Orc, compact in the way Orc youth were before they grew into the full forward-leaning mass of their species. His expression had the combination of genuine conviction and insufficient information that sometimes produced exactly this variety of moment.
"I understand that what you're asking about is important," the young Orc said, straightening under Rex's attention without stepping back from it, which was either courage or the specific confidence of someone who hadn't yet correctly estimated the room.
"But you've been standing in this hall for the last hour speaking to Lord Mordecai as if you have authority here, while I have been sitting here the entire time without hearing you explain what you have actually done for the Underlayer that earns you the right to speak to him in that manner."
