"What do you honestly think about Cherion, Karson?"
The question felt oddly heavy for a calm afternoon. Karson, who had been methodically tidying a stack of tax ledgers that seemed to multiply whenever Yerel turned his back, paused halfway through his work. He looked up, one eyebrow slowly rising as if questioning what he'd just heard. The look he gave suggested this was the last thing he expected to be discussing now.
"That is a rather pointedly unusual thing to ask today," Karson remarked, setting the papers down with a soft thud. He straightened his posture, his eyes searching Yerel's face as if expecting a hint of a joke that wasn't there. "Did something particular happen in the North? A raven I missed, perhaps?"
