Chapter 905: Awkward Moment (2)

Charlotte, naturally, looked delighted.

"My, my," she said, stepping into the space as if she had discovered a stage. "Commander Granger. I did not realize Veyrhold’s first night included private exhibitions."

Sheila’s face warmed. "Charlotte."

"And here I was thinking you came here to check patrol routes." Charlotte’s eyes moved meaningfully to the cloth in Sheila’s hand, then to the folded field layer nearby. "But no, you were showing off all this precious skin in the middle of a ruined settlement."

"I was cleaning myself," Sheila said, voice tight with dignity that had been ambushed. "I thought I was alone."

"Dangerous assumption. Dark ruins, tired students, handsome boys wandering around looking for you."

Liam looked at Charlotte. "I was brought."

"Willingly enough."

"Incorrect."

Sheila’s eyes flicked toward Liam, then away again too quickly. "I did not know anyone would come this way."

"I know," Liam said.

That was all he offered because anything else would likely worsen the problem. Sheila looked as if she appreciated the lack of commentary and hated the situation too much to say so.

Charlotte leaned slightly closer to Sheila, smile wicked but not cruel. "You should not look so flustered. It is not as if our dear Liam reacted."

"That is not the issue," Sheila said.

"Oh? Then what is?"

"You."

"Me?" Charlotte’s hand rose delicately to her chest. "I am only a helpful friend guiding him to the person he wanted to see."

"You guided him here while I was cleaning."

"What a tragic coincidence."

Liam doubted Charlotte had ever met a coincidence she did not try to take credit for.

Sheila opened her mouth, likely to argue, then seemed to remember Liam was still standing there, which only made her stiffen again. That was enough. Liam had no interest in becoming part of whatever shape Charlotte intended to carve out of this.

He spoke before the exchange could continue. "I need to speak with you when you are done."

Both girls looked at him.

His tone remained calm, almost offensively practical. "I will wait nearby."

Then he turned and walked away before Charlotte could turn the sentence into a problem and before Sheila could feel obligated to respond while still holding a damp cloth against her side.

He headed toward a nearby building they had passed on the way, one of the cleared but unused structures marked safe for short entry and unsuitable for sleeping because of a cracked rear wall. It was close enough to remain convenient and far enough to remove him from the situation. Behind him, Charlotte watched him go with open amusement.

"You know," Charlotte said once Liam stepped beyond the low wall, "it is almost impressive how he never reacts. A girl could be standing there in the most embarrassing situation of her life, and he looks like he is deciding whether the floor needs inspection."

Sheila pressed the cloth to her face for a moment, not to clean it, but to hide the last of her embarrassment. "Please stop talking."

"It makes me wonder if he really is a guy."

"Charlotte."

"What? It is a fair scientific question."

"It is not."

"Most boys would have at least blinked twice."

"He did blink."

"Once. Barely. That does not count."

Sheila lowered the cloth and gave her a look. "You brought him here."

Charlotte’s smile returned in full. "Yes."

"On purpose."

"I brought him to you. What happened after that was the work of fate."

"It was the work of your terrible personality."

Charlotte seemed pleased by the accusation. "I prefer memorable personality."

Sheila let out a slow breath, then turned back to the basin and quickly finished wiping the grime from her arms, neck, and stomach. Her movements were brisk now, less relaxed than they had been before. The small private moment she had carved out of the night had been ruined beyond recovery, and the only dignity left was efficiency. She wrung out the cloth, set it aside, and reached for her upper field layer.

Charlotte remained nearby, watching with teasing eyes that made Sheila’s shoulders tense again.

"Must you look at me like that?" Sheila asked.

"Like what?"

"Like that."

Charlotte tilted her head. "I am simply appreciating how our commander remains beautiful even while covered in dirt, exhaustion, and emotional distress."

"I am going to assign you to drainage watch."

"You would miss me."

"I would rest."

Charlotte laughed softly. "So cruel. Liam is infecting you."

Sheila pulled on her upper layer and began fastening it with more force than necessary. "Liam does not infect people. He irritates them into better judgment."

"That sounds oddly fond."

"It sounds accurate."

"Mm."

"Do not ’mm’ at me."

Charlotte stepped lightly aside as Sheila gathered her belt and gear. "You are very entertaining when flustered."

"I am going to meet Liam."

"I know. I am coming."

"No, you are not."

"Yes, I am."

"Charlotte."

Sheila started past her, moving quickly enough that the argument nearly got left behind. Charlotte followed anyway, calling after her in a stage whisper that somehow still managed to sound pleased.

"Wait for me, Commander. I would hate to miss the mysterious night report."

Liam was seated inside the nearby building when they arrived.

The room had been cleared earlier but not claimed for rest. Its front wall remained intact, its floor mostly stable, and its rear section marked with warning cuts where the stone had cracked too deeply to trust. A faint glow from outside slipped through the broken doorway and across the floor. Liam sat on a low block of fallen stone near the safer side of the room, posture relaxed but not careless, one leg bent and one arm resting loosely over his knee.

Between the fingers of his right hand, he spun a small black stick made of shadow.

It was nothing significant, only a narrow piece of Shadow Solidification shaped and reshaped with absent control. It turned between his fingers smoothly, sometimes straight, sometimes slightly curved, the ends dissolving into faint wisps before solidifying again. His attention did not seem fully on it. He was thinking, and the movement gave his hand something to do while his mind remained with the central structure, the damaged map, the district stones, and the records stored in the dark space where no one else could touch them.

He heard Sheila and Charlotte before they reached the doorway.

The shadow stick vanished between his fingers.

He turned his head as they entered.

Sheila had regained most of her composure, though the faint stiffness in her expression suggested Charlotte’s teasing had not died quietly. Her upper field layer was back on, her hair still tied to one side, and the commander’s steadiness had returned enough to cover the embarrassment from earlier. Charlotte stepped in behind her with the bright satisfaction of someone who had caused inconvenience and considered the night improved by it.

Sheila stopped a few paces from Liam. "What did you need to talk about?"

Liam rose from the stone block.

"The central structure," he said.