The breakfast hall was already a battlefield. Wards shimmered over the buffet, as if the staff expected an actual siege. I nudged Elyzara with my elbow, both of us attempting (and failing) to act casual as we threaded through a gauntlet of curious stares and a cloud of enchanted gossip-motes drifting just above the coffee urns.
"Smile," I whispered. "Look like you have absolutely nothing to hide."
"That's easy for you to say," Elyzara muttered, her cheeks slightly pink. "I look guilty even when I've only borrowed a library book."
She did, and I adored her for it.
We'd barely claimed our spot at the long House table when Mara pounced, sliding in beside Elyzara and planting her elbows on the table. "So. Lovely sunrise, was it? Early strolls, hand-in-hand, long meaningful silences tell me everything." Her voice was low and perfectly pitched for maximum audience.
