It was Atlas who spotted her first.
Mira came through the treeline at a jog, her eyes scanning the field until they landed on the two of them standing across from Tongen. She slowed as she took in the scene — the cracked and disturbed earth, the dust still settling around Jelo's knees, the way neither of them looked particularly confident.
She came to a stop beside them.
"I heard movement and followed it," she said, looking between Atlas and Jelo. Then she looked at Tongen, and at the red ball in his hand. "How long has this been going on?"
"Long enough," Atlas said.
Jelo glanced at her. "We've tried twice already. Two angles at once. He reads it every time."
Mira studied Tongen for a moment without speaking. Their master hadn't reacted to her arrival at all. He just stood there in the same unhurried way, turning the red ball slowly in his fingers, waiting to see what they'd do next with the same patience he brought to everything.
