Voss held his gaze steadily. This was not the careful information-professional version of him. This was something more direct.
"You're covering my back in the official record," Orion said.
"I'm ensuring the accurate version exists," Voss said. "Which is my family's professional function." A pause. "And yes."
They looked at each other.
"Appreciated," Orion said.
Voss nodded once with the specific closure of a transaction completed. Then picked up his satchel and left.
Doran was still there.
He'd been there the whole session and was still there now, sitting on the perimeter wall with his stag beside him and his medicinal kit packed and his wooden sword leaned against the wall and the expression of someone who had something to say and was working out how to say it.
"Say it," Orion said.
Doran looked at him. "Before you came back," he said carefully. "The training ground. The library. The study. All of it." He stopped. "I didn't have any of it."
Orion waited.
