Lucavion stared at Vitaliara for another moment.
Her tail remained perfectly still.
Suspiciously still.
He decided against commenting on it.
Instead, he pulled the rest of his coat free and crossed toward the narrow wardrobe beside his bed. The dark fabric slid from his shoulders, revealing the simpler clothes beneath: a fitted charcoal shirt with the collar loosened from the evening, dark trousers, and sleeves that had crept slightly upward around his forearms during the walk back. A thin line of pale skin showed beneath the open collar where the Academy coat had protected him from most of the night wind.
—Shhk.
He settled the coat over its hanger.
Vitaliara followed every movement from his shoulder.
Lucavion felt the stare.
"You know," he said, "for someone who wasn't curious, you have remained remarkably invested in this conversation."
[Hmph.]
He hung the coat.
"Compelling argument."
Another hmph entered his mind with enough force to deserve punctuation of its own.
