"Serena is resting. She promised me this morning she'd stay in bed until this afternoon." Dex delivered this information to the room the way a general delivered a status report.
The silence between them was so pointed it could have drawn blood.
Elara's jaw was doing something complicated, cycling between amusement and the mercy of not saying what she was thinking out loud.
Hyran studied the ceiling.
Dex pinched the bridge of his nose. Before he could say anything else, a pink portal formed.
"Ah. Perfect timing," Hyran said flatly. His arms were crossed and he had the unmistakable expression of a scholar who was robbed of a treasure hunt.
Serena ran through soaking wet, chest heaving.
Gav's voice rang from the other side. "Serena, wait!"
Hale looked at the portal. Then at Serena. Then at Dex.
"So," Hale said carefully. "She rested hard. Really leaned into it."
Elara shot him a warning look, then turned away to look at the wall, shoulders shaking.
