“Neither do I.”
He exhales, pacing once, then turning back.
“Why are you bringing this to me?” he asks. “Why not Tyrok?”
Because Tyrok already chose.
Because if I tell him, he’ll act on it.
Because that will make everything worse.
I don’t say any of that.
Instead, I step closer, just enough to shift the dynamic without crowding it.
“Because I need to know where you stand,” I say.
His brow furrows slightly.
“On what?”
“On him,” I clarify.
Understanding hits immediately.
“Stacy—”
“Don’t deflect,” I cut in, not sharply, but firmly enough that he doesn’t continue. “Answer me.”
He studies me, longer this time, weighing something.
“I stand with him,” he says finally.
“That’s not what I asked.”
“It’s the answer you’re getting,” he replies, but there’s tension in it now.
I don’t move.
“That means you support his decision,” I say.
He exhales through his nose.
“It means I don’t undermine him,” he corrects.
“Even if he’s wrong.”
That lands.
He doesn’t answer right away, and I watch the conflict move through him, subtle but real.
“…Yeah,” he says eventually, quieter. “Even then.”
I nod once.
Good.
That tells me everything I need to know.
