"I'll mention it to him," Sage said. "Whether he comes depends on him."
Valerie accepted that with the satisfied air of a person who considered the matter already settled in her favor.
"Who is Zaeryn?" Tahlia asked from behind them.
She had drifted a few steps closer while the conversation circled and the question carried nothing but plain curiosity.
She inclined her head, choosing her words with the care of a woman who managed etiquette for a living. "And, if I heard correctly... It is a HE?"
Valerie turned toward her with visible delight. "Someone I'm not supposed to find as interesting as I do," she said. "He's Sage's boyfriend."
"Oh." Tahlia's brow creased slightly. And then her look settled into a look of realization and understanding, "A pet?" The word arrived with a faint distaste she did not bother to hide. "I heard those are rare these days."
