The household had cleared out of the receiving room by common agreement before the breakfast dishes were even carried to the scullery tubs.
Juna had led Loccy and the lynx twins out toward the training paddock, their loud disputes over spear drills fading down the long hallway until the heavy oak door closed behind them.
Only Sava, Vella, and Hajin remained in the quiet hall, standing around the low table where the morning sun cut a pale diagonal stripe across the polished wood.
Nyra walked in from the corridor carrying her four-quarter practice scrap between her thumbs, her posture straight and her sandals making almost no sound against the braided reed rug.
She looked at the three adults in turn, verifying who was present before stepping up to the edge of the table.
"Did anything change since yesterday?" Hajin asked, keeping his voice quiet and level as he rested one hand on the unrolled parchment.
