Liora was already at the bench when I arrived.
This was a problem. I'd planned to be there first. To sit. To prepare what I was going to say. To rehearse the conversation slowly, methodically — the way Ren had taught me to think.
But Liora was sitting on the bench. Crimson Oath across her lap. The forge-fire in her meridians turned down to a quiet glow. She was looking at the jasmine.
"You're early," she said, without turning.
"So are you."
"I came when I felt you decide. The bond does that now. Don't ask me how."
I sat beside her. Not close. The bench was small and we were both armed and the gap between us was deliberate. The wood was warm where she'd been sitting on the other side. The jasmine had grown thicker than I'd seen it in weeks. Late blooms catching the moonlight.
"How long have you been here?" I asked.
"An hour. Maybe more. I lost track."
"How did you know I'd come tonight?"
"I didn't. I came every night this week. I figured you'd show up eventually."
