During dinner, Micah made it his personal mission to bridge the distance between Ilyas and Darcy. From the moment they sat down, he had been subtly nudging the conversation in Darcy's direction, hoping the two would strike up some sort of friendship. In his mind, it was the most practical solution. If Ilyas and Darcy grew close, Darcy could keep an eye on him without it seeming deliberate or suspicious.
So Micah tried. Repeatedly.
Every time there was even the smallest opening in the conversation, he slipped Darcy's name into it.
"Darcy was the top scorer in the prefecture, you know," Micah said brightly at one point, leaning back in his chair as though the information had just casually occurred to him. "My mum practically has to wrestle other people just to get him to collaborate on her projects. If you ever need help with your studies, you can ask him."
Darcy, seated beside him, simply continued eating as if the conversation had nothing to do with him.
