"Understood," Yates said, already turning away.
The young man gave Crimson Reaper a parting nod, exchanged brief greetings with Sword Song's two stewards at the tree line, and then led the group into the Forest of Strange Sounds.
He noticed, with the quiet attentiveness that had become second nature to him, that Yates seemed to hold a mild opinion of Crimson Reaper, though that was their personal business and none of his concern. What was more interesting was how Yates had handled the situation. Young as he was, he was sharp. The offhand remark about being a "studio player" had drawn a clean, subtle line between himself and the newcomers. It was the kind of move that took experience to recognize and instinct to execute without thinking.
Once inside the instance, the group broke into a run toward Diana and the others.
