Orion felt his eyes widen.
'She just asked directly.'
For a brief moment, his mind stalled—not out of panic, but surprise. Of all the approaches Emily could have taken, bluntness was the one he had least expected. There was no probing, no circling, no soft framing. Just a direct question, asked in front of Sylgrid, with no visible concern for consequence.
Did she not consider that it might be sensitive?
He dismissed that thought almost immediately. Ignorance didn't fit her. Not after days of observation. Not after how she handled people, movement, and tension. Emily wasn't careless.
Which meant this was deliberate.
A test, perhaps. Or a gamble. Or she had decided that pretending ignorance was safer than appearing informed. Orion couldn't tell yet, and that unsettled him more than he liked.
The Sylgrid tilted his head, the motion slow and curious rather than defensive.
