Athea did not look away. She set the data slate down on the desk in front of her.
"The plus-one policy was removed for a reason, Valerie," she said, her voice cool and even. "And that reason has not changed in the three months since the council voted on it."
"It's one plus-one, Athea," Valerie tried.
"There is no such thing as a single plus-one when the rest of the list is watching." Athea's voice did not rise, but it sharpened in a way that did not need volume. "The moment Sage Stellan is granted an exception, every guest of comparable standing will have grounds to request the same. The council will spend the next decad fielding those requests instead of preparing for the event. That is not good diplomacy. That is bad scheduling wearing diplomatic colors."
Valerie opened her mouth to argue. Athea did not give her the opening.
"Moving on," Athea said.
She picked the guest list back up, and the conversation about plus-ones was over.
★★★
