Diana, who had been listening to this exchange with the still, absorbing attention she gave to things she considered worth attending to, said, "We should know when things are close."
"We want to know it not after the fact, but before it... or during, if that's possible." She was looking at Rex with the flat directness she used for positions she had already decided on. "I understand there are things you can't tell us in advance, and of course... I'm not asking for operational details."
"Alright, what are you asking for?" Rex said.
"I'm asking for the honest version when the honest version is available," Diana said. "The way you just gave to Lily, for me... that's sufficient."
Rex looked at her. Diana's version of devotion was not demonstrative.
It was precise, like Diana herself, and it showed up in the specific things she chose to ask for rather than in the volume of what she said.
"Alright," Rex said.
