"Husband..."
"Something small. I've had enough surprises for one day."
He eased his hand from Kitsara's grip. Blossom let him go reluctantly while Veshara shifted the empty cases away from his feet, giving him room to stand clear of the tables.
The scepter felt pleasantly warm when he took it up again. Synchra lay smoothly against his hand, quite satisfied with her meal.
He pointed it toward the packing straw scattered around an empty crate. A little mana made the gem glow, and a curl of his own wind lifted the loose strands into a turning column.
Bim's head came up sharply.
"Black?"
"Hmm?"
The gnome was staring at his helmet. Beside him, the assessor's pen hovered over his page, forgotten while his lips moved around words he hadn't yet managed to say.
"Could you do that again?" Bim asked.
Quinlan let the straw fall and turned toward a washbasin by the warehouse door. Water rose from it in a thin stream, arcing over the rim before he guided it back into the bowl.
