Elliot did not ask why I called for him.
He stepped into the room, closed the door behind him, and waited.
That was why I chose him.
Not because he spoke well, or advised better than anyone else in the estate, but because he knew when not to fill a silence that did not need to be broken. Most people tried to do something with quiet. Elliot let it exist.
I was standing by the window when he entered. Not looking at anything in particular, just... there.
"You wanted to see me," Elliot said.
"Yes."
I didn't turn immediately.
There was a pause before he moved further in, stopping at a distance that respected the space without feeling distant. He didn't sit. He didn't assume anything. He just stayed where he was, waiting.
That was enough.
"It's decided," I said.
Elliot didn't ask what I meant.
"Then it went as expected," he replied.
"It did,"
The word came out flat, without resistance.
