The idea of a panic attack wasn’t meant to be tinged with mixed emotions. In all Malori’s life, she hated them. She still did. They were the worst kind of sensory overload, where she could barely even think about anything but pure terror, depression, and a million other emotions that she hated. Already, she could feel herself teetering on the edge of one as she curled up on her cot, tears staining her face and clothes. It didn’t make sense that the most prominent feeling in her head was hope. Colette found out, and she didn’t care. She was being honest during the confession. There was hardly a way to look at it that didn’t confront the borderline undeniable fact that Colette cared about her.
Another wave of tears forced their way out as the thought ran through her head. Gods, how long had she wanted to be able to have a thought like that? To be able to have a thought like that and have her head struggle to come up with reasons why it wasn’t–shouldn’t be true. She didn’t expect it to be perfect. Nothing was. She could still hear the tendrils of anxiety licking at the corners of her mind and telling her she was being manipulated, that it was all a lie, that this kind of thing didn’t happen to her. For the first time, it felt like they were wrong.
Rubbing away more tears with her palm, she glanced at the door. She’d long since lost track of time, and every extra moment spent waiting was agonizing. Agonizing, but not impossible. Colette was worth the wait. The gentleness of her voice, the warmth of her hand on Malori’s shoulder, they pierced to the forefront of her mind and filled her with a hope she didn’t realize she needed. Her head shot up as the creak of the door interrupted her thoughts. She gulped. Intrusive thoughts aside, the conversation was about to be utterly terrifying.
A tired looking Colette peeked into the room. She seemed slightly short of breath. Did she just run from the meeting room? Whatever the reason, the Archmage’s eyes softened in a smile as they fell on Malori. She stepped into the room, quietly closing the door behind her and wasting no time putting her bag of materials onto her desk.
“My apologies for taking so long,” she said gently. She sat down on the bed, leaving a little bit of space between them. Given how much like a cornered animal Malori knew she looked, Colette was probably being careful. It was sweet.
“I-I-It’s fine. I um, I think I n-needed a bit of time to myself anyways. J-Just to process everything,” she said quietly. “The emotion, both mine and yours, it’s a bit o-overwhelming.”
“Oh dear, I’m sorry,” Colette’s brow furrowed. “I didn’t intend for that.”
“It’s fine! Um, really, it is. I-I can’t help it. Reading emotions isn’t something that really t-turns off.”
The Archmage nodded, still making no move to get closer. “I see. I can try my best to teach you how, if you’d like. It’s kind of intuitive for me, so I’m not sure how well I’ll do as a teacher for that part,” she explained.
Malori looked up at her curiously. “Can you turn it off?”
“Well, yes. Generally, it’s the other way around for me. I have to think about it actively in order to tell what someone’s feeling. It’s not particularly difficult, but it is something I need to do consciously.”
A silence lingered between the two of them as Malori stared down at her lap.
“W-What are mine like?”
“Hm?”
“I’ve only read other people, a-and there are differences between what’s shown and what’s truly f-felt. I guess I’m just kind of curious is all,” she admitted, slightly embarrassed.
Colette nodded, turning to look at her telescope. “I wouldn’t know. I can if you’d like me to.”
“Y-You haven’t?” Malori looked up at her, brow furrowed. “But that’s–why wouldn’t you? W-Wouldn’t that make it easier to get close to me?”
The Archmage seemed to consider her words for a moment, rocking her head back and forth. “Well, it would be easier,” she started. “It doesn’t feel right to me though, if that makes sense. I don’t really want the shortcut to getting to know a wonderful girl like you. I want to learn about you at your own pace. See your mannerisms and reactions in real time. It’s not like that for everyone obviously, but it’s what works for me.”
Once again, Malori felt like she was about to cry. All of these times she’d worried about Colette trying to take advantage of her, using her abilities to do it, and it was the complete opposite. She wiped away the tears that welled in her eyes, threatening to spill forth.
“Th-That’s… It’s sweet. It’s very sweet,” the words didn’t even begin to cover it. “Well, I guess I owe you that explanation now.”
Colette shook her head. “As much as I’d appreciate one, I don’t want you to think it’s something that you owe me. Does that make sense? I want you to do this because you’re comfortable with it, and want to do it. If you don’t, then honestly I’d rather not hear it.”
Malori felt herself tense as she was bombarded by Colette’s feelings and words. There was conflict underneath them, and it wasn’t particularly difficult to tell why. Even if she’d finally managed to accept that Colette did trust her, even care about her, the same couldn’t be said for the rest of her group. The more she heard them put Malori down, the less patience she seemed to have.
“I-I understand, and I appreciate that. More than I can say, but…” her words caught again. But what? She wracked her brain, trying to think of what one of the characters in her books would say. Princess Cassandra? When Cornelia told her she’d give anything before, what did she say? Books always had better words than she did. All she knew how to do was build upon them. She took a deep breath. “You don’t need to give everything up for me, you know. We haven’t known each other for a very long time, and you’ve already done so much to make my life better. If your responsibilities take you in a direction without me, then so be it. You trusted me, I will trust you.”
The Archmage giggled. “Did you know that your stutter goes away when you pull from books?”
Malori blinked. Did it? “I–um, I-I didn’t mean to–”
“It’s okay, Malori,” she said softly, looking into her eyes. “Is it alright if I give you a hug? You’re starting to shake.”
The little esper felt her mouth go dry. She wanted to say how badly she wanted one. All she could manage was a small nod as Colette reached over and pulled her willowy frame against hers. It was warm, like always.
“If it’s for you, I’m willing to risk things. You’re worth it.”
Malori felt her heart flutter a moment as she hid her face in Colette’s robes. “Th-Thank you…”
“You’re welcome.”
The two stayed like that for a long time. Minutes dragged on as Malori leaned into Colette’s side, soaking in the warmth of a friend’s embrace. She wanted to fall asleep like this. The nightmares hadn’t stopped, obviously, but something about Colette’s arms made her feel like they weren’t so scary anymore. She could face them.
Finally, she found the courage to separate from the hug. Not fully, she still rested against the taller woman, but she now found herself sitting up at her side, head against her shoulder. “I th-think I’m ready.”
She could feel Colette nod next to her. It didn’t need words.
“I should p-probably start with my magic,” she said quietly. “I guess in s-simplest terms, I’m a cleric. I assume I don’t need to explain much about that? Y-You know how healing magic works.”
Colette nodded again. “I do. It’s part of why I was so sure you were trustworthy.”
Malori furrowed her brow, glancing up at her. “What do you m-mean?”
“There’s an old Amalthean saying,” she smiled. “My grandmother told me when I asked why there weren’t many healers within the country. When it comes to healing magic, ‘It takes skill to learn. It takes compassion to succeed,’” she said wistfully. “I love my home, but it’s no secret that it isn’t exactly a place where caring about your neighbor is the highest priority. People have their circles of friends and family, and those bonds are fierce. They’ll fight people, monsters, and even the world itself to protect them. A true healer needs compassion for everyone.”
Malori felt Colette reach down and touch the center of her chest.
“Even in the short time I’ve known you, it’s been obvious how much you care about every single person you come across. Adonis, Olympe, myself, even your group. You’ve said yourself that they don’t treat you very well, but you still care about their well being. You worry whenever they say they’d gotten into a fight, and you light up when they come out okay. I’ve seen a lot of incredible things, Malori. Breathtaking displays of magic, beautiful snowy landscapes, auroras in the sky that make you want to stop everything and just stare for hours. Out of all of them, the most incredible thing I ever had the good fortune of experiencing was your heart.”
No words could force their way out of Malori’s throat. Every time she thought she understood the depth of Colette’s affection, it revealed even more of itself. It was stunning. She managed a small giggle as the tears began to form in her eyes.
“You know you t-talk quite a lot.”
“Only when it’s something worth talking about.”
Malori smiled, looking down at the bed. “I follow Carys, the goddess of love. I know she isn’t worshiped very much in Amalthea, despite her prevalence e-elswhere. Her church in the Cordelian capital was where Ingrid and I met. We spent some t-time together that day, and she invited me to her m-manor. I’d never been invited anywhere by anyone, so n-naturally I accepted. She found her little brother missing. His room was e-empty, aside from a note. It said that he was seeking answers to s-something in Reach.”
Colette nodded, running her fingers calmingly through Malori’s hair. “She did seem very adamant about going there. I think I can relate to her a little bit more now though. Gods know I’d cross countries for Ivar. I am a bit curious though, how did he get here?”
“He’s a sorcerer,” she said simply. “A Shadowblood. Apparently, he was a p-prodigy as well. He specialized in using it for t-teleportation.”
The Archmage’s eyes widened. “Umbrakinesis for teleportation? That’s–” she shook her head. “Sorry, hearing about new applications of magic gets me excited. Continue.”
“I-It’s fine! I’m the same w-way. Alice was a close friend of Ingrid’s, and she j-joined us on the trip. Admittedly, it wasn’t a v-very bright idea for me to join two people I’d barely known for a day on what could p-possibly be a matter of life and death,” she sighed. “I was k-kidnapped in one of the cities, and they rescued me. Apparently, th-they’d found Kallen, and she offered to help. Alice didn’t like her, a-at all. That started extending to me when she r-realized I had feelings for her.”
Colette raised an eyebrow. “You do?”
Malori stopped. That was the first time she’d said it out loud. Before, even thinking about it made her heart flutter. Now it just seemed so… mundane. “I do. Well, I did. K-Kind of? It’s not something I’m entirely s-sure of, if that makes sense. I think it’s going to be s-something I need to work out on my own. Regardless of my own feelings, I d-don’t think we’d be a very good match anymore.”
“Well, what do you think would make a good match for you?”
She furrowed her brow. “I-I don’t know. I suppose t-taller women, which fits her, but that’s more physical attraction. Besides, I don’t think that’s p-particularly difficult for me to find.”
“Oh? Was that a short joke?” Colette laughed. “I don’t think I’ve heard you make one of those before! Or many jokes at all for that matter.”
“It’s a n-new experience,” she grinned.
“Well, I’d love to help you learn more about it,” the Archmage leaned into her slightly. “I think I can fill in the rest of the pieces based on other things you’ve said. You all met Natalia not long before Alice confessed to Ingrid, you traveled a bit more, you wound up in Kydanthus, and I suppose I’ve been here for the rest of it. Is that right?”
“There are a f-few more details I can explain later. Th-They aren’t as important,” she nodded. “But yes, that’s the g-general story. I’m here for a goal I really d-don’t have much stake in.”
Neither said anything for a while. That was probably for the best. Despite her joking comments, pouring her heart out exhausted Malori. Today was probably going to be another instance of Colette doing the talking when they checked in with the group. She frowned. That’s right, the rest of the group. She hadn’t even considered how they would take this.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“C-Colette?” she craned her neck to look up at the Archmage, blushing slightly as she saw her looking down fondly at her. “I know this is k-kind of selfish, but do you think you can keep it a secret that I told you all of this?”
The woman gave her a curious look. “I can, but if it’s alright with you, may I ask why? I thought it may be easier for them to be earnest in their reports if they knew I was… okay with it.”
The pause before saying she was okay wasn’t lost on Malori. “I know. I-It’s mainly because of Alice. She can be v-volatile. A lot of the more s-spontaneous decisions are made by her. K-Kallen too, but she hasn’t been making very many lately,” she explained. “Alice is obsessed with keeping things hidden. I th-think if you reveal that you know, she’s going to be more inclined to do something rash, or d-dangerous.”
Colette frowned. “Alright. You know her habits better than I do. I’ll trust you.”
“Th-Thank you,” she smiled. Her eyes drifted closed as she returned her head to its resting position against the Archmage’s shoulder. The silence that remained between them was comforting. Letting that much emotion out so recklessly, it left Malori exhausted. It was unlikely she’d be staying awake much longer. After their check in with the group, heading straight to bed sounded like a dream come true.
“Malori, if I may,” Colette murmured.
“Hm?” she didn’t open her eyes. Too tired.
“You said you didn’t have any attachments to Cordelia. You were unsure if you wanted to stay with your group, and that you had little stake in their mission.”
“Y-Yes, that’s correct,” she admitted.
The Archmage paused. Malori could only imagine the pensive look on her face. Her voice was quiet as she spoke again. “Malori, would you give any thought to staying here?”
The little esper’s eyes snapped open. Suddenly, the exhaustion had fled her body. She shot upright, staring wide eyed at Colette.
Colette flinched away, taken aback by the sudden movement. A blush filled her cheeks as she covered her mouth. “I-I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. You’re tired, and you have a lot to think about. This entire situation is stressful and–”
“Yes.”
The Archmage stopped. “Pardon me?”
“A-Am I misreading this?” Malori asked nervously. “I–You’re asking me to stay, in Amalthea, a-aren’t you?” she hated how terrified she sounded.
“Well, yes,” Colette said gently. “I have no desire to be overzealous, but I don’t imagine I’m doing a very good job at keeping myself from it. You’ve looked happy here, Malori. Hearing about all the ways your home hurt you, I can barely keep sane. Just the thought of sending you back to that when all of this is over, it makes my stomach turn. You’re my friend. You called me your friend. What kind of friend would leave you in that sort of place?”
Malori felt herself beginning to shake. If she wasn’t so stunned, she’d have pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. Who was she kidding, of course this wasn’t a dream. The only things that ever plagued her at night were horrors. This was real.
“People here, they enjoy you. Castor has mentioned your excellent taste in romance, which I agree with. Ivar respects you. The rest of my guards have heard stories from Castor, and would like to get to know you as well. Adonis and Olympe both adore you. I adore you, Malori. I’d love for you to stay. More specifically, an Archmage’s Honor Guard traditionally has six members, hand picked by them,” she paused, taking a deep breath. Judging by the trepidation radiating from her, she was trying to figure out how to say what came next. “That’s two more positions for me to fill with whomever I please, and… I can’t think of anyone who could fill that better than you, Malori.”
“I…” Malori could feel her eyes starting to water. A smile spread across her face as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Colette. “I would love to. What else is there to say? This place… I feel wanted, Colette. That’s all I’ve ever daydreamed of since I was a little girl. It was something that felt like it would never come, but… It’s here. It’s you. It’s this place, and everyone I’ve met since being here. I don’t know how well I can do at being a guard, I’m worse than useless when it comes to anything combat related… but there’s no place I’d rather be. I was born in Cordelia, grew up there, but it was never a home. I don’t know if Amalthea is, but here? Here it feels like home. I want to see more of it.”
She had no desire to hold back the tears. What reason was there? The previous times, she’d been scared. She didn’t know if letting herself open up would end with her being hurt. She’d cried because she was just so overwhelmed, she didn’t know what to do. They were driven by fear as much as they were driven by anything positive. There was no confusion here. They were tears of joy. She wanted to experience them as much as possible.
When Colette spoke, she could hear her smile in her voice.
“Then let me give you a proper welcome, Malori. I don’t believe I know your last name, if you have one.”
She smiled. “Leblanc.”
“That’s a wonderful name,” Colette said softly. “Welcome to Acyrgos, Malori. Welcome to Amalthea. Welcome to my circle, Malori Leblanc, my beloved Honor Guard.”
More tears streamed forth. They felt like happiness.
“And my dear friend.”
Screams echoed through the halls, one closer than the rest as Alice plunged her dagger into the dark elf’s throat. Ingrid tried her best not to pay too much attention to the utter lack of any sort of reaction as her lover shoved the man’s body aside and kept moving. Everything about this felt wrong. Battles she’d been in before were horrifying, that was always true, but not like this. In Lhanbryde it had been a hard fought battle, both sides struggling to gain the upper hand before she and Alice turned the tide. Saving Malori was a surprise attack made after scoping out the location, figuring out numbers, and how best to keep their enemies scattered as they hurried through to find the esper and get out. Berith’s camp had pretty much been a draw, and one that they struggled for. This? This was a massacre.
It was no secret that Alice had been irritable for the past week or so. Ingrid had been excited. They fought a dragon and won. There were countless stories of heroes doing the same, but this was real. Maybe she didn’t contribute as much as she would have liked, but she was still a part of it. She had no intention of taking unearned achievement. Rather than sharing her joy, Alice retreated into herself. Questions were answered with as few words as possible. Oftentimes the dark elf came to bed after Ingrid, and woke up to leave before her. For the first few days, Natalia had been too injured to fly, leading her to be the one sharing a wyvern with Alice, rather than Ingrid. Even when that bit of alone time had been returned as the illian’s wings fully recovered, Alice wasn’t in any mood to talk. She clearly tried her best to keep the same gusto with which she’d show her love for Ingrid, but it was strained. It was visibly tiring her to pretend that whatever was bothering her wasn’t there. Seeing that anger be taken out in the underground tunnels they swept through was an alarming sight. Ingrid had tried to offer up plans, methods to scout the tunnels when they’d discovered them upon entering the second Dark Zone.
These things are sized for us, not big ass monsters. Normal guards too, went down easy. We already lost time healing up after fighting the dragon, let’s get this over with.
Just remembering the anger in her voice made Ingrid wince. She almost wished Alice had been wrong. She wasn’t in any rush to be nearly killed, but some sort of snag or surprise appearance from Berith would have shown her how reckless she was being. Instead, she stalked through the dimly lit halls, Ingrid a small distance away from her, killing everyone they came across without hesitation. Some of them weren’t even armed.
These people are enemies. If someone is coming around a corner, she doesn’t have time to wait to see if they have a weapon drawn, she thought to herself. The words felt hollow. Kallen and Natalia had split off when they came upon a hallway near the beginning. Something about covering more ground. The words barely registered.
“Ingrid, wall it?” Alice asked coldly, gesturing to the room she was about to enter.
Ingrid opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it. She thrust her staff into the floor, erecting a series of stone walls at random throughout the room. About six other dark elves made various sounds of surprise as their sightlines vanished and footing became unsteady. She stepped away from the door as Alice rushed in. The sound of clashing metal and crossbow bolts scraping against stone went quiet far too quickly. Less than a minute had passed before Alice exited, flicking blood from her dagger.
“Are you okay?”
Ingrid nearly jumped. Her lover taking such a gentle tone after a violent display like that was jarring. “Oh, um, yes!” she lied. Probably not very convincing. “I suppose… I thought there would be more people.”
Alice glanced down the hall. The sounds of Natalia’s magic were getting closer. “Same. Not gonna complain about an easy win though. Been gettin’ way too few of those lately.”
“Maybe you’re right,” she murmured. Was she just overthinking things? Maybe Alice was irritated that she had to sit with Natalia instead of her. She did love holding Ingrid’s waist when the heights got to her. Would that really make her angry enough that she’d agree with Kallen on an approach to dealing with an unknown enemy base? “Doesn’t it seem strange though? The facilities here, from what we’ve seen, none of them particularly looked like they were meant for anything. It’s like a set of barracks in the middle of nowhere.”
“That’s… a good point,” Alice tapped her dagger against the wall. “Maybe we should take a prisoner. Ask them what the deal is. That work?”
Ingrid nodded, trying to ignore the pit in her stomach at what Alice might do to a prisoner. She quickly shook the thoughts away before she could bring them up. She shouldn't have been having thoughts like this about someone she trusted this much. Did she have no faith in everything Alice had shown her? It made her feel sick to her stomach as she looked at Alice’s back, scarf and ponytail bouncing with each step. Something had to have happened while she was unconscious in the dragon fight, when she left to fetch the wyverns with Kallen. They came back at different times, and Alice had been struggling to hide how shaken up she was. The human said it wasn’t her place to say, which was something she could respect and accept. If Alice was hiding something from her, she’d come clean about it, right? They loved each other. Nothing was supposed to get in the way of that. So why did she feel so anxious?
“Mind giving me a little extra speed for this next room? Blitzing them down faster will make it easier to take a prisoner.”
The knot in her stomach was hard to ignore as she channeled her magic into the woman she loved.
Alice felt like her entire psyche was being torn apart at the seams. If anyone was going to set her off like this, make her feel like everything around her was on the verge of crumbling down, why did it have to be Kallen? That stupid, oblivious, asshole of a human had decided on a whim to put her life on a knife’s edge. From what she could tell? That didn’t seem to bother her in the slightest. She couldn’t even be around Ingrid anymore without feeling like something would go horribly wrong. Was this how her and Malori felt all the time? It almost made her feel bad for the esper. That was her own fault though. If she’d listened to Alice and stayed behind on a trip that she clearly wasn’t built for, then she would have been fine. Why was this group so deathly allergic to reason?
She glanced at the door to make sure Ingrid wasn’t looking in. She hadn’t for the last few rooms, but now wasn’t the time for taking more chances. In an ideal scenario, she wouldn’t be taking out her anger in such proximity to Ingrid. This couldn’t have been further from ideal. Besides, these were enemies, controlled by Berith or whoever the hell his boss was. It was sloppy work. Not all of them had even had their fear responses removed, judging by the way they cried out and cowered before she struck them down. Each time though, she checked. She looked into their eyes for any sign of life, only to be met with deep red. There was no saving them. It made her sick.
She remembered the panic she’d felt when she first met Ingrid, seeing her eyes like that. She’d been certain that the elf was an assassin sent to deal with her, but anyone who wanted that wouldn’t have been sloppy enough to have her eyes be that visible. Nevertheless, she had kept a knife closeby the entire time. The relief she felt upon learning the next day that light elves counted red among their natural eye colors couldn’t be overstated.
The speed granted by Ingrid’s magic made killing all but one of the defenders a simple task. She kept one of the scared looking ones, where the magic hadn’t taken hold as much. As she tied his arms behind his back with rope taken from one of the corpses, she couldn’t help but get annoyed at her own species. With humans or most adjacent species, she could get a general sense of their age at a glance. Looking at this man, he looked slightly older than her. That gave her a range of anywhere from a hundred to three hundred years old if she wanted to estimate. What a nuisance. She dragged him out of the room by the back of his shirt, giving it a sharp yank.
“Keep squirming like that and I’ll look for a prisoner in a different room,” she snapped. The struggling instantly stopped, making moving him a simple task. The fearful look in Ingrid’s eyes as she stepped out with him felt like a punch in the stomach. “I think Feathers and Kallen are close. Keep moving and see if they got anything?”
Her lover nodded, casting worried glances at the terrified dark elf in her grasp. “A-Are you planning to ask him questions?”
She wished Ingrid wouldn’t stutter. It reminded her too much of Malori. It reminded her too much of how scared she herself was. “Probably. Figured I’d wait for Feathers. She gives the vibe of someone who can make people talk.”
Ingrid didn’t say anything, just nodded again, starting once more down the dim, stone brick hallway. Alice tried to act like nothing was wrong as she followed. She probably wasn’t doing a very good job of it.
They didn’t make it very far before the wall next to them began to glow, changing from a muted red to a vibrant orange. Alice grabbed Ingrid and pulled her back a step. She likely would have been fine, but the beam of light that burst through the melted stone was enough to make the druid jump. She was gonna have to talk to Natalia about that on their next flight. She peaked into the hole, careful not to touch any of the molten and cooling material just in time to see Kallen removing her bloodstained glaive from a woman she’d pinned to the ground with it. Natalia was in the process of brushing dust from her coat, her wings shuddering to remove any debris from their feathers.
“You’ve been busy,” she joked, glancing at the blast shadows and burnt corpses littered throughout the room. Judging by the sheer amount and the size of the room, it was likely where a large group of them had tried to make a stand of some sorts. Kallen certainly had a few scars and gashes, but compared to Natalia, she had clearly been the one taking most of the heat. She couldn’t blame the defenders. If she saw a six foot plus human charging in with a glaive the size of a battleaxe and taking people apart, that would probably be her first target too.
“We have. Any updates from your end?” Natalia sighed, folding her wings behind her.
Alice wordlessly held up the terrified dark elf. The illian raised an eyebrow. “Something about how easy this was didn’t really sit right. So we grabbed one for questioning. Judging by this… he mighta been the last one,” she huffed. Her eyes flicked to Ingrid, who still hadn’t said a word. A conflicted look was painted on her face. “You guys find the totem? For the Dark Zone, I mean.”
Kallen waved from across the room. “It’s back down that hallway! We can show you if you’d like!”
Her eye twitched. “And you didn’t destroy it? Go cut it in half or something. We want it gone.”
Natalia frowned. “We were a little preoccupied. Or would you have preferred us to take a quick break to let them shoot at us?”
As much as she would have loved that for Kallen, she would much rather have Natalia in good condition. She actually liked being around the illian, even if she’d been a little infuriating after the fight with the dragon. She clearly cared more about her end goals than whatever secrets Alice had. That kind of professional courtesy was much appreciated. Maybe she’d even offer a small discount on the contract when they got back to Cordelia.
“Alright, fair point. They’re done now though. Can we get rid of it? We still need to tell Colette we’re not dead.”
She hated Colette and everything she stood for, but she made for a convenient excuse at times like this. She had before, and should have again. But it was hard for her to believe her ears when Ingrid finally decided that now was the time to speak up.
“Actually, I think we should keep this one.”