Page 55 of To Fight and To Fold

"We can manage. I'm a genius, after all," he goaded.

Thea rolled her eyes… and gave in. She threw her arms around him and sighed. "It's good to see you again."

"You too, kid," he said softly. He still smelled the same, like leather and earth and sweat, because he was a guy and men were gross, especially this one. "Glad you're safe."

"You're smelly," she complained, but he wouldn't let her go when she tried to wiggle free.

"And you love me," he sang.

Thea laughed as she finally wrestled him away. "Don't get your hopes up."

Rolim chuckled and ran a hand over his short hair. "How have you been? You really made waves, you know."

Thea was really, really tired of being reminded. "I heard," she offered blankly, carefully, and studied her nail beds.

Rolim peered at her, and she couldn't hide anything from the elf who'd known her half her life. Warmth crowded her cheeks and a bead of sweat trailed from her temple. If she wiped it away, would that make it more or less obvious?

"So the tea was charmed, then?" Thea finally landed on.

They'd surely interrogated Aaryn, which meant she likely drank their damned tea. She'd probably told them anything and everything they wanted to know. Not that she supposed it mattered, because everyone knew Thea was guilty of the crimes anyway, and they couldn't find her even if Aaryn told them everything. Not here.

But it… made something twist at Thea's insides, the thought of Evergale using magic on Aaryn without her consent.

She knew what he was going to ask before he drawled, "So, you're not gonna ask about her⁠—"

"Fine!" Thea snapped. "…How is she?"

Rolim grinned, a cat who'd caught the canary, and leaned against Vaelen's desk with crossed arms. "I dunno," he shrugged, and Thea leapt at the space between them with a growl. Rolim yelped and curled back, pressing his hands out defensively. "Kidding, kidding!" he laughed, and held her off.

Thea glared at him, baring her teeth, but Rolim cooed with something like affection—disgusting—and pulled her close with an arm around her neck, squishing her into his shoulder, and now she was trying to retreat as he patted her head. "Awww, you're so feral, kiddo. I missed you! And your cute little horns."

He flicked one and she hissed at the weird twang of sensation. "You shithead⁠—"

"She's fine," he finally said, and Thea went still in his arms. "Haven't seen much of her because, well, she doesn't come to the yard very much anymore."

She doesn't have a reason to, Thea thought, guilt pooling in her gut. Not without her dragon.

"Carissa is pissed, because Aaryn told them about… us, during her interrogation." He winced. "I think there was some tension there, afterward. Riss vented to me about it."

"Between her and Aaryn?" Thea pressed for more information.

Rolim rubbed the back of his neck, sheepish. "Riss and Aaryn… had words. With the other Tethered."

"Rolim!" Thea groaned, and paced away.

"Sorry! I tried to poke my nose in a little, but I couldn't come to Aaryn's defense too fast—I'd raise alarm bells! I didn't want her to get mad at me," he said, whining the last word.

"Carissa is worse than green dragon’s venom," Thea grumbled.

Rolim grinned dopily. "I know, right?"

"So Aaryn's—what? Holed up in her room?" Thea was regretting her decisions more by the second.

And despite the guilt churning inside, she couldn't help but think… it was for the best. She almost shook the thought away, but it completed itself before she'd given it permission to: The more she hates it there, the easier it will be to pull her away.

She steeled her jaw against the thought.

"I actually overheard a pretty crazy rumor from the other guards."