The heavy iron latch of the Edelhart dorm bedroom clicked, locking them inside. Emma Arlon turned away from the door, walked straight to Alex's wooden desk, and set a single, bent button on the polished surface.
"Was Maya in your room at the Spire?" Emma asked. She didn't scream. Her voice was terrifyingly level, stripped of the frantic, chaotic energy that usually accompanied her jealousy.
Alex stood near the center of the room, wearing dark training trousers and an open, unbuttoned shirt. His bandaged right hand rested carefully at his side. The System's kinetic saturation gauge hovered just below twenty percent, finally stable after a day of intensive cooling. Downstairs, he could hear the faint sound of Lily organizing the parlor—deliberately staying away, giving them the space they needed.
"Yes," Alex said. He didn't lie, and he didn't deflect.
