"Your partner should be here any moment now."
Zephyrion's lips curved into a frown.
"Partner?"
"Yes." Gonester nodded, only for his brows to furrow when he noticed Zephyrion's confusion. A moment later, realization flashed across his face. "Wait… I didn't tell you? Huh. Could've sworn I did. Anyway, first mission. Bastion protocol. You'll need a veteran apprentice accompanying you."
'Of course I do.'
Zephyrion's frown deepened, and he was already running through several excuses to get around that particular protocol when the door suddenly creaked open behind him.
"Ah! There he is." Gonester's face immediately brightened with an excited grin that Zephyrion found deeply suspicious. "Little genius, meet your partner."
Turning around, Zephyrion's eyes narrowed at the figure standing stiffly in the doorway.
