The door sealed behind Ashwin with the soft hiss of obedience, leaving behind the hum of ether and the quiet space that always seemed to fold around Victor when he entered a room.
Elias didn't look up. He had clearly heard the shift in the air; he always did, but his eyes stayed on the hovering data display, a defense mechanism disguised as focus. His voice, when it came, was low and dry. "You're supposed to be at work."
"I am," Victor said.
"That doesn't count," Elias replied, his tone sharp but tired, "if you teleport away from the work part."
Victor didn't bother to argue. The light from the floating screens reflected off his cufflinks as he approached, the rhythm of his steps impossibly even, too measured for any normal man. He stopped just beside the desk, the edge of his shadow brushing across Elias's papers.
Elias exhaled, a soft, quiet sound that betrayed more than it intended. "You really couldn't wait, could you?"
