Natalia found him in the library three days later.
He was sitting in a chair by the window, reading a tactical report he'd already read twice, because the library still smelled faintly of her and he was pathetic enough to sit in it for that reason alone.
"Asher."
He looked up. She was standing in the doorway, a scroll tucked under her arm. Her white hair was braided over one shoulder, and her green eyes held his with the quiet intensity that had always made him feel like she was seeing straight through him.
"Hey." He managed a smile. It was a good one. He'd been practicing.
She sat across from him. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
"How are you?" she asked. Natalia Moonveil didn't ask how anyone was unless she meant it down to the marrow.
"Good." He set the report down.
A lie so clean it could have been framed.
Natalia studied him. Her brows drew together, just barely, the same expression she wore when she was reading a text and found a word that didn't belong.
