Vael picked up a cookie and examined it. He turned it over in his fingers. Then he looked at Theon. "Is this poisoned?" he asked.
Theon's face changed. The smile dropped. His expression turned serious. "That was an expensive joke," he snapped. "Those cookies cost Tania minutes of waiting and a good forty dollars. Do not say that."
Vael bit into the cookie. He chewed slowly. "I just wanted to be sure," he said.
Theon scoffed and leaned back in his chair. "I have no reason to poison you," he said. "Not yet."
Vael swallowed. He reached for another cookie. "Yet," he repeated.
Theon nodded. "Yet."
They looked at each other across the desk. Then both of them started laughing. It was the kind of laughter between two people who had known each other long enough to say terrible things and mean none of them.
"This is crazy!" Vael commented.
"I agree." Theon wiped his eyes with the back of his palm.
