The commercial gate the next morning was busy.
Leo joined the queue without the VIP credentials that had previously moved him through without delay. He paid the standard fare and stood in the departure hall among merchants, students, minor officials, and travelers of every race and purpose.
The transition on the other side carried the same brief warmth, but this time it opened into the noise and movement of a standard platform rather than a private chamber.
They had agreed on the meeting place, a simple, practical arrangement spoken quietly befy Iori prepared to depart from the capital and Aria had lingered just long enough to say, "I'll wait for you at the center of the arrival plaza. You'll know me when you see me."
After the warded room, after the night they had shared in silence and watching, the understanding between them had become that easy.
He had expected to find her somewhere near the exit.
