They came in properly this time.
That was how Aelara knew it was going to be a real conversation. Caelum knocked, which he did not always do, and Lyra opened the door with the careful deliberateness of someone who had decided something before crossing the threshold. They were both still in the clothes they had worn to the tribunal. Neither of them had changed, which meant they had not gone to their rooms in between. They had been somewhere together, the two of them, doing what they did when they needed to process something without adults present.
She recognized the look. She had been watching it for years.
"Come in," she said.
Vaelor moved slightly to make room. Not creating distance, just space. He understood what this was without her having to say it.
