The poolside had gone quiet.
Misty had already left, uninterested as always, disappearing back into the mansion without a second thought.
Silvi remained.
She rested her arms on the edge of the pool, water dripping slowly as she looked toward Kael.
"You really don't swim?" she asked.
Kael glanced at her. "No."
"That's rare," she said. "Most operatives are trained for it."
Kael leaned back slightly, eyes on the sky.
"Most operatives don't spend ten years pretending to be someone else."
Silvi studied him for a second.
That answer wasn't defensive.
It was simple.
And real.
"You don't talk much," she said.
"Depends," Kael replied.
"On what?"
"On who I'm talking to."
Silvi smiled faintly at that.
"So right now?"
"Still deciding."
That made her laugh lightly.
Not forced.
Natural.
For the first time, the silence between them didn't feel like distance.
It felt… easy.
Silvi pulled herself out of the pool and sat on the edge, not far from him. Water dripped from her hair onto the tiles.
"You don't act like the others here," she said.
Kael didn't look at her.
"Neither do you."
A small pause.
Silvi tilted her head slightly. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You observe more than you speak," Kael said calmly. "But when you speak, you test."
Silvi's expression changed slightly.
Not offended.
Interested.
"That obvious?" she asked.
"To someone looking for it."
Silvi leaned back on her hands, glancing at him sideways.
"And what are you looking for?"
Kael finally looked at her.
"Patterns."
A short silence followed.
Then Silvi nodded slowly.
"Fair enough."
The conversation paused, but not awkwardly.
More like both of them had said enough to understand something about the other.
Time passed quietly.
No pressure.
No need to fill every second with words.
Then—
Footsteps approached again.
This time, sharper.
Faster.
Misty.
She stepped back into the pool area, her gaze immediately landing on the two of them.
Kael and Silvi, sitting close, talking like they'd known each other longer than a few hours.
Her expression didn't change much.
But something shifted.
She walked closer.
"So," she said, tone casual, "what are you two talking about?"
Silvi answered normally. "Nothing serious."
Misty's eyes moved to Kael.
Waiting.
Expecting something.
A response.
Acknowledgment.
Kael looked at her briefly.
"Nothing important."
Simple.
Flat.
Then his attention shifted back to Silvi.
"So how long have you been under Miller?" he asked.
Misty froze for a fraction of a second.
It was small.
Almost unnoticeable.
But it was there.
Silvi answered, "A few years."
Kael nodded slightly, continuing the conversation naturally.
"What kind of assignments?"
Misty was still standing there.
Ignored.
Not completely.
But enough.
Enough to feel it.
Her expression tightened slightly.
No one did that.
No one ever chose to ignore her.
Especially not like this.
Especially not in her own house.
She stepped closer.
"You know," she said, her tone sharper now, "it's rude to ignore someone when they're talking to you."
Kael glanced at her again.
Calm.
Unbothered.
"I replied."
That made it worse.
Because he was right.
Technically.
But it wasn't enough.
Not for her.
Misty's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then she looked at Silvi.
"You're enjoying this?" she asked.
Silvi raised an eyebrow. "Enjoying what?"
Misty didn't answer directly.
Instead, she turned back toward Kael.
Studying him now.
Properly.
Not casually.
Not dismissively.
Something different.
Something personal.
For the first time—
she wasn't uninterested.
She was irritated.
And that irritation came from something new.
Something unfamiliar.
Kael didn't react to it.
Didn't adjust.
Didn't try to fix the situation.
He simply continued sitting there, calm as ever.
Which only made it worse.
Misty let out a quiet breath, then turned away slightly.
"Whatever," she muttered.
But her tone wasn't the same as before.
Not careless.
Not dismissive.
There was something under it now.
Something sharper.
She walked back toward the house.
But this time—
she didn't ignore him.
And she didn't forget him.
Kael watched her leave for a brief moment.
Then looked away.
Back to normal.
Back to calm.
But inside—
he had already noted the shift.
And shifts like that—
were where control began.